Hymnes of Eternity: Lonely Arches
by Glacilius Caelum
Summary: Death is just the begining.' These words have never been more true for one teenager from Michigan. After his death, he was pulled into Gaia to begin his travels as a new man. This is his story. First in the 'Hymnes of Eternity' saga.
1. Prologe: Crash, Burn, Flatline

_I do one disclaimer and one only. That being said, I would like to state that I do not own the Final Fantasy series. Any and all characters, weapons, names, and places are copyrighted to Square Enix except for those I have created. Any similarity between characters and events in this story to living people and actual events are purely coincidental. Furthermore, I am not making any money for writing this story. This was done completely spur of the moment after a design I came up with several years ago evolved on its' own. Items from other series, such as soul gems, ebony, glass, ademantium, and dwarven armors/weapons from the Elder Scrolls saga, belong to their respective companies._

_Now, with all the stuffy legal crap out of the way, I would like to say right now that there is still a chance to escape from reading this if you press the back button or deviate away from this page. This isn't my first try at fan fiction, but it is the second I've posted up; the first is in another area of the web. That being said, if you are still interested in finding out what is going on here, I would like to calmly welcome you to the 'Hymns of Eternity' saga. Enjoy._

_-GC_

_**Prelude: Crash, Burn, Flatline**_

The brought the young man into the ER at Mach 3, the family running in thirty minutes later. The husband managed to catch a glimpse before a doctor screamed for a nurse to get him out of there. He almost lost what little food he'd had for dinner as he was guided to the waiting room; the body was more burns, lacerations, and metal than flesh. Looking at the mutilated form that was his son broke his heart.

As he sat in the white room, his wife pacing, eldest daughter crying with her rosary in her hands, and his youngest son stacking magazines in strange patters before knocking them over and starting again, James Dmitriev thought about the events he'd witnessed that day. His son had been having bad luck since he rolled out of bed, starting with a freezing cold shower, followed by running late. When James had returned home, Gabriel was trying to get past his mother to kill the eight-year-old, Lucifer. Of his three sons, Gabe and Luke always fought the least, preferring to work together to torment the oldest, Raphael, when he picked on them.

He remembered grabbing the sixteen-year-old, pushing him out the door with amid screams of, 'Go cool down, Gabriel!' The teenager had snarled something, grabbed the keys to his bike, and rushed out the door, slamming it behind him. A few seconds later, a roar from a rebuilt engine heralded screaming tires; when James looked out the window, his son was already tearing away, his custom bike easily hitting 60 mph in seconds.

Three hours later, Gabriel still hadn't returned. James was a bit worried, but he figured his son would return when he was ready; he remembered all the times Raph had run off when Gabe and Luke got him with a particularly mean prank, and the teenager was no different from the 20 year old college student. He'd be back when he was ready. However, the five remaining in the house had just begun their dinner when the phone rang. Within five minutes of James picking up the handset, the family was out the door and heading towards the hospital in the next county.

Memories and thoughts flooded his mind as he gazed at the wall. He blinked when he glanced at the clock, revealing the time to be 12:43 AM. James and his family had been sitting there for almost seven hours. He was almost lost in his own thoughts again when his daughter turned her reddened eyes on him.

"Dad? Please tell me Gabby is going to be OK…." Amelia whispered, using the pet name she'd given her younger brother when he four and she was eight. Raphael looked up, staring at his twin before his own bloodshot eyes followed her gaze. James sighed inwardly at his perceptive daughter; ever since the day Gabriel was brought home from the hospital, she'd immediately wanted to protect her brand new baby brother. Because of that, she worried for him almost as much as her mother, Dona.

"Ami, honey, I can only pray that he will," he replied, his voice just as quiet. He refused to lie to his children, especially when he didn't know the answer himself. That was one thing him and his wife had always agreed on: No matter what, they would be honest and open with their children. He was about to add a little more, seeing his daughter on the verge of tears again, when a gentle voice coughed behind him. James turned around and looked at the doctor, ignoring all his features except his blue eyes.

It has always been said that the eyes are the windows of the soul. The Dmitriev family fully agreed with this statement, believing that it was the eyes that first greeted someone more than kind words or a smile. However, James found himself starting to loathe the man who came up with the phrase as he gazed into the doctor's; a deep sadness born of having to tell too many people that their loved one had died, was almost glowing from the man's eyes.

"Mr. Dmitriev? I am Doctor Johnson. May I speak to you and your wife for a moment?" he asked, motioning for us to follow him. He led us halfway down the hall before turning to us, understanding in his eyes. "I am not here to bring you happy news, unfortunately. I'll tell you now that your son died at 12:30 this morning. We tried for thirteen minutes to revive him, but it didn't work. I know the pain of loosing a son and a brother, so I made sure everything was done to save him. However, the damage was far too extensive for it to work. I give you my condolences for your loss." He stared at the grieving couple for a moment before walking away, knowing all too well that they would need time to mourn and move on, and that an outsider was the last thing they needed.

Outside, a cold wind howled, almost as if it were carrying the tears and voices of broken hearts through the Michigan night.

_**IX IX IX IX IX IX IX IX IX**_

Pain; that was all he could feel.

All around him, burning, agonizing pain. It felt like his veins had been filled with magma and his skin torn from the muscle! Everything hurt, right down to the very atoms that made up his form. Darkness encompassed his vision, his voice going raw from his screams as his right eye boiled in its' socket. What felt like molten steel coated his hands from the tips of his fingers to halfway up his fore arms while white hot splashes of the stuff decorated his arms, shoulders, and chest. It felt like he was being flayed alive as his back ripped open, a pair of twin... _things_ pushing through the wounds.

The torment seemed to go on for an eternity; just when he thought it would never end, it stopped. In place of the raging agony, a pleasant, almost cool energy washed over him like a wave. He felt his veins pump blood again instead of fire; his arms and chest stopped burning under the liquid metal. The socket that once held his eye began to heal over until it was just a slight throb in the back of his mind. Strangest of all, the four growths that erupted from his back grew muscle, skin, and something else. His hair began to grow across his body again. When he could finally open his remaining eye, he saw a void.

The healed and rebuilt human started when he felt a pair of arms wrap around him, four leathery wings mimicking the gesture. He could feel a strange body pressing against him from behind, cool and scaled… reptilian. The oddest sensation was when the snout pressed close next to his ear, a sibilant hiss gently caressing his mind.

"_I greet you, little brother,"_ it said, the voice sounding male to his ears. _"I am called Benediction, but you can call me Ben. The others seem to be in disagreement as to whether or not you deserve to be given a second chance at life…However, I see something special in you; it still hasn't been realized, but perhaps you could awaken it with a little time." _

The being turned him around then, letting him go as it did. What he saw was shocking, to say the least; black and blue scales, a body that would make any male supermodel green with envy, thin spines on his reptilian head falling gracefully around the face to give him a kind of bed-head look. His eyes were the most shocking part of him, though: Twin silver orbs shone under the brow.

The four wings shared the coloration of the reptile, the webbing between the 'fingers' a gem-like sapphire. A tail hung behind him, the length wrapping around his left leg. The creature was dressed in a strange outfit, an offshoot of chain mail and cloth that was easily a tunic and pants done in blue and silver. All in all, 'Ben', as he introduced himself, was a strange and exotic beauty.

"_Little brother, if you keep gazing at me like that, I just might blush enough to glow under these scales,"_ he laughed, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

The human blushed lightly, a faint pink staining his cheeks. When he opened his mouth to speak, however, he couldn't. He blinked and tried again, getting the same effect and quickly becoming distressed. Suddenly, though, a pair of scaled hands clasped onto his shoulders. Startled for the second time in only a few minute, he lifted his eyes, gazing into the agates gleaming in front of him.

"_You screamed yourself hoarse, young one. Besides, English won't do you much good where you're going. You'll learn in time, I promise,"_ he said, placing a gentle kiss on the boys' brow, earning him another blush. Ben chuckled lightly, ruffling the hair on his head. _"I'm afraid the time for you to meet your new world is close at hand. I can assure you that upon your awakening, you will be able to understand their language. Remember, an important task awaits you at the beginning of your tale. Complete it to the best of your abilities. Now, go to sleep, little brother; I won't let anything harm you as you slip into your new home."_ As the words left what he was beginning to see as his guardian angel, his eyelids drooped, slowly taking him into a deep sleep. However, he was still conscious enough to hear the final words before darkness took him again.

"_I will always look out for you, my dear little archangel… My dear little Gabriel…"_

_**IX IX IX IX IX IX IX IX IX**_

The boy drifted in and out of consciousness, voices and brief flashes of color appearing before fading out just as quickly. As he finally started to reenter the world of the living, the voices grew from distant, garbled sounds into half-sentences, and from those fragmented phrases, into full thoughts. He slowly opened his eye, hissing silently at the light stabbing into his brain. It didn't take long for him to adjust, the blurred shapes coming into focus as a ceiling, curtains, windows and two people standing over him. One, a woman with blonde hair, noticed his change in breathing, though it had been more of an absence of sound. Her fears were relieved, however, when she noticed the almost glowing green eye darting around.

"So, you're awake," she said gently, trying not to startle to boy. It almost worked; instead of jumping, his bandaged hands clenched into fists while his eye focused a chilling gaze on her. She prided herself on not flinching or turning away from that eye. When her companion turned, however, she winced. _'Three… Two… One… Fire in the hole,'_ she thought, already moving to clap a hand over his mouth.

"Well, it's good to see you awake, boy! We almost thought you weren't going to make it; that wouldn't have been good, not at all," he said, though the youth would have described it as more of a dull roar. Honestly, the man could easily put a fog horn out of a job! Before he could go on, though, the woman had clamped her hand over his lips, effectively shutting him up.

She gave the loud one a scalding glare before she turned back to the patient, her lips twitching when she noticed a glimmer of amusement flashing in the emerald eye. Before either of them could move, however, the eye had widened and focused, seconds before their patient leapt out of the bed and a sick tearing sound echoed through the medical ward. Both turned slowly, their eyes widening and jaws dropping at the sight.

There was the Regent of Lindblum himself, half turned in shock to stare behind him. A few feet away, a man dressed in an ill-fitting uniform stood frozen, a dagger falling out of his hand while he was looking down at his chest with a morbid fascination. Jutting from it were five semi-sharp metal talons and a mess of red stained bandages, glistening in the sunlight. With a sickening _**'slurp'**_, followed by a _**'pop' **_and a _**'thump'**_, the body came free of the claws, revealing to the Regent what his wife and the royal physician had already seen: The strange, four winged boy who had, moments ago, been in a bed asleep.

The three watched as the boy slowly unwound the bloody bandages from his arm and clean the dull metal on the assassin's tunic. The bandages on his left arm soon followed those from his right, a crooked 'X' showing up in red and white on the dead man's back. He looked straight at the ruler of Lindblum standing before him, the man still shocked at the display of brutality while his other guards started to slowly close in on the boy. Remaining silent, he carefully fell to one knee before the Regent, bowing his head.

The Regent motioned his guards back, drawing the ornamental sword at his waist as he stepped over the corpse. He gazed down upon the kneeling boy, raising the blade and tapping it twice on his shoulders and once on his head. With that done, he sheathed the blade and took the newly ordained knight by the clawed hand and helped him stand, staring into the questioning emerald eye gazing back at him. The Regent smiled softly leading him back to the bed.

"Rest, young Sir Knight. I will want to know your name later."

_**IX IX IX IX IX IX IX IX IX**_

It had been six months since the young mute had entered the court of Regent Cidoulfus Lindblum IX and Lady Hilda Garde. Six months since he had written, 'My name is Nicoli Gabriel Bloodwing' on a scrap of parchment and given it to his lord. When asked why he couldn't speak, he wrote that his voice had been destroyed in an accident, and that it would take months to come back, if it ever did.

The teenager had jumped from the rank of knight to duke in one fell swoop when he helped catch the pompous lordling that had hired the assassin to kill the Regent. When that happened, Cid had chosen to give the boy a small duchy for his services. Nothing too big, just a small manor he could call his own.

However, the older man had overlooked something, a small fact he should have noticed: Despite being mute and very mature for a teenager, the Duke of the Theatre District was still sixteen. In those five and a half months prior, Nicoli had proven beyond a doubt that he was a master when it came to pulling harmless pranks on the castle staff. He had done everything he could think of in that calculating mind of his, from dying a high ranking noblewoman's hair vibrant blue, to convincing the newest trumpeters that the Regent preferred them to play horrendously off key whenever he finished a sentence.

Cid drummed his fingers on his desk in his study, trying hard to figure out what to do with the devious young man. He couldn't really punish the boy; all he had been doing was trying to get used to his new life and bring some hilarity to the cruel world. Even as he found himself growing more and more irritated at the young duke's antics, those same things caused more and more laughs when thought of. His intelligence was obvious, despite his silence; how else could he have figured out a way to put honey in a nobleman's powdered wig, style it, and create a new fashion in the city, all without getting caught? The only reason the Regent knew it was the teenager was because Nicoli had winked at him. Winked!

However, other gags were just flat out irritation, the incident with the trumpeters being one of them. Those pranks were beyond annoying, and if anyone else had done them, it would be the dungeons before the end of the day. The only time the duke had been sent there, he'd _enjoyed it_! That reason alone was why he was never sent there again. Those dungeons were one of the three places Nicoli went when he was 'hiding', as Hilda called it; the other two were the hospital wing he woke up in, and the highest tower in the castle.

The man sighed again as he looked at the latest complaints from the gentry about the Duke of the Theatre District. Nicoli had finally pushed it too far; if he wasn't sent from the city to get rid of some of that energy, the boy would likely be stripped of rank, lands, and knighthood. Cid stared at the growing file, thinking of how he could keep the young man safe and traveling at the same time. Those thoughts brought him to the three other folders on his desk; three of the finest warriors in the kingdom were to be sent as Nicoli's trainers, companions and chaperones.

Noah 'Gabranth' Ronsenburg, a Captain and Bladesmaster of the Black Paladins, was one of the few that voluntarily chose to walk the darker path of knighthood. While his older twin, Basch, had chosen to be a regular Paladin and lead charges from the front line, Noah had chosen to be a Black Paladin, specializing in poisons, stealth, and wholesale slaughter. When he graduated from the academy, he chose the name 'Gabranth' after their mother, instead of using an already over used one, 'Death Stalker' being one of them. One of the things that made him so dangerous was his ability to use almost any weapon that carried an edge, earning him the position of Bladesmaster; everything from a simple hand axe, to his unique thief's swords, Dark Messenger. He'd been on leave until very recently, making him ready to go on assignment again.

Zellicorius 'Zell' Dincht, a Sergeant and martial arts master of the Royal Guard, had been the second choice as a companion. True, he wasn't that much older then Nicoli himself, and often got in almost as much trouble, but his training, loyalty, and ferocity in battle made him a lethal enemy and a firm friend. Often seen as hot tempered and idiotic because of his mouth and choice of weapons, Zell actually had a quick mind that caught things others usually missed. Having grown up in an orphanage, the teenager had been weaker than most people. That changed when he was adopted by his parents and met his Master. After the first meeting, Zell quickly earned himself a reputation by taking on the Black Hand Gang, and winning himself the notice of a sponsor. After joining the Royal Guard, he slowly began climbing the ranks. The teenager had been trying to beg leave from his superiors for several days now, even though he didn't have any saved up; what better way to keep him happy then putting him on assignment that got him out of everyone's hair for a while?

Lulu Besaid, a Black Mage and the Court Magician, gave the motley crew a woman's touch as the finishing piece of the team. While rather ungifted when it came to physical combat, she more than made up for it with the almost surgical precision she cast her destructive spells. She was well known for proving that she earned her title of 'Mistress of Black Magic' by striking a series of targets with multiple different spells in under a minute. The only thing that matched her skill with magic was her razor's tongue she used to cut over inflated egos down to size. She grew up as the little sister to a pack of boys that often tried to protect her 'because she was a girl.' Her first use of magic had been to zap her youngest brother when he'd cut the head off her doll and put it on a stick. After that, she was offered an apprenticeship to the Lindblum Academy of Magick. Cid could remember her hinting at a desire to visit her family, so this seemed to him to be a perfect opportunity.

A knock on the door broke him out of his thoughts. Cid gave a sigh before he sat up; it wouldn't do to let three of his subjects see the Regent slouching, no matter how comfortable the chair.

"Enter," he called, pulling a fourth file from his desk. This one was marked only with a pair of wings, and it was thicker then the other three. Into his office came the black mage, the knight, and the soldier; Lulu was expressionless, as usual, but her eyes held a glimmer of curiosity. Zell was openly confused, with a bit of apprehension thrown in at being called before his lord. The only expression he couldn't read was Gabranth's, because of his helmet. However, that didn't stop him from reading the body language; that almost screamed a deep loyalty to Lindblum, but also whispered that he would kill anyone who threatened the country. Cid figured it would be Lulu who spoke first, but was surprised when it was Gabranth who broke his silence.

"My lord, with all do respect, I find myself wondering why the three of us were called together before you," the masked man stated, his voice echoing slightly within the steel. Cid grinned inwardly; trust a Black Paladin to go straight for the meat of a situation, instead of dancing around the edges.

"I find it strange as well, Lord Cid," Lulu commented, her voice chilly to one who didn't know her. The regent knew for a fact that she was using a 'mask' to hide her curiosity. She loved a good puzzle, no matter how she acted.

Zell was still mute, still standing at a rigid attention that would be the end of him if he kept it up. The older man chuckled slightly, motioning to the three chairs in front of his desk. "Please, have a seat. All of you," he added, staring pointedly at the youngest of the trio.

Once all three had taken their chairs, Cid pushed the wing-marked folder towards them. "I would like to introduce to you your new assignment. I want him out of the city for a while, no less then a year. He is to be trained in your respective arts, if he has the aptitude for them. And, please, remember that he is still adjusting. Something happened to him that robbed him of his speech; I want one of you to make sure he keeps drinking his potions. According to the latest information from Dr. Icebane, they will eventually restore his vocal cords. Are there any questions?"

"Only one from me," Lulu replied, studying the file. "According to this, he has several unique features, but they don't go into detail on what they are. Are we to find out for ourselves?" she asked, passing the documents to Zell.

"Wait, we're looking after Nico? What'd that bird-brained friend of mine do now?" the teenager said, closing the file after seeing the name and passing it to Gabranth. The two adults on either side of him gave Zell an inquisitive look, while the graying regent shook his head. _'Of course they would be friends. This explains how some of those damned stunts were pulled off.'_ He thought, a tiny smirk forming at the memories.

"Nicoli Gabriel Bloodwing, the Duke of the Theatre District? I'd heard some rumors, but I never met someone who knows him," Gabranth stated, putting the file back on the Regent's desk when he finished. He turned to face the older man, knowing full well that his iron gaze would have no effect on Cidoulfus Lindblum IX.

Cid grinned fully, nodding to the questions. "Pertaining to the noticeable features, you'll have to see for yourself or ask young Zell. What he did this time, as you put it, is his business. Knowing what you do from whatever rumors are floating around the castle, however, need I explain why he needs to be taken out of the city? I want him to use up some of that energy." A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts once again, this time announcing the young duke himself. "Enter."

Most people, when the first heard of the duke, would usually expect a man in his mid-twenties to walk in, dressed in the finest silks and latest fashions with his nose in the air. The reality was a near polar opposite of that image; instead of elaborate fashions, he wore plain clothes in varying shades of grey and black. In place of fine silks, he wore cotton. The two deviations from this pattern were the black eye patch over his gaping right socket and the scarred leather gloves covering his forearms. Nicoli's eyebrows came together in a curious frown as his eye darted from the three seated individuals and his lord. When that slightly disconcerting gaze landed on Cid, the question was obvious: What's going on?

Cid motioned to a chair on the left of Gabranth. "Please, have a seat, Nicoli. There is much to discuss," he said. When the boy closed the door and walked over to stand next to the chair, the Regent gave an inward sigh; it was asking a lot of the tormented child to even stand that close to a stranger, let alone sit next to him. "As for what's going on, I have decided to send you on a… Vacation, if you will. It isn't fair of me to keep you locked away here in the city; you need to see the world, not just what's inside the gates. These three will accompany you as your companions, and it is doubtless that you have at least heard of them; Gabranth Ronsenburg, Zellicorius Dincht, and Lulu Besaid." Each one nodded as they were introduced, with the exception of Zell; he stood up and wrapped Nicoli in a brotherly hug. The younger male stiffened for a brief second before hugging his friend back, bowing to the other two when Zell let go.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, my lord," Gabranth said as he offered his hand to the boy. Instead of taking it, Nicoli pulled a small slate from his belt pouch with a piece of chalk. Quickly, he scrawled, 'The pleasure is mine, Captain Gabranth, Lady Lulu,' before passing it to the armored man. The black haired woman read the message quickly when the slate was passed to her, and she nodded.

"I might be able to find a way to heal your throat enough for you to talk, if you'll take the risk. The potion is still experimental," Lulu said, understanding a bit of what the boy went through; when she had first started messing around with magic, she had injured three of her siblings. Two of them died, while the other was left mute and blind.

The duke shook his head, taking the slate back and scrubbing it with his leather covered hand. After a few moments, he passed the stone back, this time reading, 'According to the physicians, my body is healed. However, they also say that my silence is something mental that I haven't worked through.'

"He's right; physically, he's in perfect health," the Regent said, knowing well what was written on that slate. He had been there when Nicoli had attempted to speak after being told he would be able to. The distressed look the boy had was heartbreaking. As far as Cid knew, the duke hadn't made an attempt since. "But for some reason, his mind isn't ready."

Gabranth, Zell, and Lulu nodded, the elder two giving life to a fatal mistake: They each shot a look of pity at the youngest in the room. Within seconds, the tension skyrocketed, just as Nicoli caught the gazes. His eye and expression turned from warm and friendly, to pure ice and rage, a ripping of fabric the only warning as the four dark wings tore out of his tunic. Both pairs extended to their full span, the grey pair angled towards the ceiling while the crimson set angled at the floor. All the while, his hands flexed into claws, the metallic tips hidden inside straining against the leather enough to show. Even though he was only about as tall as Zell, the wings, gaze, and stance all made it seem like he towered over them.

The reaction from the martial artist was instantaneous: He pulled back his fist and slugged his friend in the gut, just hard enough to knock the wind out of him and break the spell. It worked. As soon as Zell's fist connected, Nicoli doubled over and gasped, his wings folding around him while he fell to his knees, clutching his stomach. When he looked back up, he met the understanding eyes of the other blonde.

Zell just shrugged, holding out a hand. "You were starting to loose control again. Hope I didn't hit you too hard this time."

When Nicoli reached up and took the hand, a small, grateful smile crossing his visage, the older blonde gave an inward sigh of relief. The last time something like this had happened, the winged boy refused to come anywhere near Zell for weeks. Than again, punching with enough force to put cracks in a stone wall was probably not the best thing to do; he was just lucky that he hit one of the metal plates that decorated the teen's body. If he hadn't, Nicoli would have been dead; as it was, the boy had a large bruise surrounding the metal that grew like his skin.

Cid released a breath he hadn't even realized he'd been holding in. When he saw the boy he almost considered a nephew act like that, it reminded him of that day in the infirmary. A few days later, they learned that the teen was nearly an insomniac; the most any of them had seen him sleep was a few hours. "In case you haven't guessed, Nicoli doesn't do well with pity," he said to the other two adults. Both of them just nodded, not daring to take their eyes from the suddenly calm teenager.

"My lord," Gabranth said, turning his helm towards the ruler of Lindblum. "I accept this mission." Without another word, he stepped forward to tower over the younger man. There was a tense silence for a few moments before the darker one nodded, clasping his hands beneath his cloak. "That temper of yours could cause serious damage. I will do all in my power to teach you to control it." Without another word, he bowed to Cid, turned on his heel, and walked out of the room, his boots not even making a sound on the marble floors.

Lulu stared at the boy for a moment before sighing. "Unfortunately, I find myself agreeing with the tin man; if you are to learn the art of Black Magic, you'll need your temper under control. After all, all power is connected to our emotions. If a black mage can't control his anger, he can burn a city like Treno to the ground in an hour." Having said her piece, she nodded to the Regent and left, closing the door behind her.

Zell stared at the heavy oak door for a moment before leaning a little closer to Nicoli. "How long do think it will take us to get those to start dating?" he asked the younger boy, earning a wide, mischievous grin from him. A cough from behind them made them both jump. Slowly, the two boys turned around to look at their smirking lord.

"As entertaining as I find the prospect of the Court Magician and the Blademaster becoming a couple, I would like to remind the you that this vacation is for all four of your benefits, not just Nicoli's," Cid's smirk became a full blown grin, even as he revealed their primary direction. "After all, Zelliconius, haven't you been begging for some time off? In fact, isn't your family's home in Balamb the halfway stop between Timber, Deling City and Besaid? I think it's about time for you to pay them a visit."

The blonde fighter winced; it'd been two years since his last visit to his mother's house. His master turned stepfather was bound to work him hard for how long he'd gone without writing. Nicoli, on the other hand, was doubled over again, this time using the desk to hold himself up under the force of his silent laughter. Zell just glared at him, though it was obviously halfhearted.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, laugh it up, birdie; Ma heard all about you in my last letter. The moment she sees you, expect to get swept into the kitchen for feeding," he said with a grin before racing out of the room. A minute later, Nicoli was chasing after him, murder in his eyes.

Cid calmly walked to the door, closed it, walked back to his chair, sat down, and burst out laughing. _'By God, it's good to see him finally start to loosen up! For a second there, I was worried he never would….'_

_**IX IX IX IX IX IX IX IX IX**_

"… and my brother has made the ebony mines in Midgar flourish, raising the output from 1500 tons a month to 1550 tons. It is obvious from any but a commoner's viewpoint that my family has been on the rise, and just as obvious that we are more than prepared to take our place at your side, Your Majesty," Lord Calser of House Pertenos exhaled, sounding more and more like a mosquito to the regent. Cid withheld a groan, instead choosing to blink his eyes. It was the Feast of the Equinox, and just like so many times before, the inventor was forced to put up with the pompous ass of the equally irritating Pertenos family. Not for the first time, Cid thought that if he strapped the fool to one of his airships, the thing would never run out of power.

'_How bloody long can he go on?'_ he thought, masking a chance to send a pleading look at his wife with a drink of his wine. Hilda sent an equally masked look of apology to her husband before turning her half her attention to the women around her.

This time, the regent almost forgot himself and sighed, wishing again that he hadn't sent the Duke of the Theatre District away on that 'vacation'. _'Hell, I'd pay to be there with him!'_ Cid thought, remembering all the interesting times that had happened fourteen months ago. He was just about to beg some excuse for leaving when the doors to the Grand Hall opened wide to admit four people he didn't expect to see for some time yet.

The first was Lulu Besaid, her usual distinctive gown exchanged for one made of shimmering black silk that seemed to flow around her. To accent her graceful neck, arms and figure, a series of ebony and silver chains hung from her throat, waist and wrists. A pair of ebony drops dangled from her ears, completing the image of exotic beauty.

Next to her was Gabranth Ronsenburg, garbed in a suit of well polished ebony armor, the black and gold giving off a glow under the light of the chandeliers. The usual closed helm was missing, showing the guests the man that looked almost identical to Captain Basch Ronsenburg of the Paladins, the only difference being the missing scar across the eyebrow. A black silk cloak covered his left arm, while his right was held to show he was the escort of Lady Lulu.

Zelicorius Dincht was the third in the group, dressed in the ceremonial uniform of the Royal Guards. The dark blue silk was adorned by gold chains and a golden plate on the right shoulder, while a similar plate covered the left. His medals proclaiming his rank and achievements glittered, while the twenty-year-old stood tall and proud, his stance reminiscent of a soldier at ease.

The last one was the most distinct, however. Instead of flashy silks or stunning armor, he was dressed in a tunic made of what looked like pieces of fabric in varying shades of grey stitched together. His left arm was covered by an almost tribal looking red design stretching from the wrist to the shoulder. A sleeveless coat made of black chain-mesh with black metal plates extending from the shoulders and a collar made of grey fur reached to his calves, while a pair of gauntlets done in some kind of silvery metal covered his hands. His pants were solid black while a similar design to his sleeve traveled up the right leg, this time done in a silvery grey. His boots were a plain grey metal with black 'thorns' covering the toes and sides. A silver and ruby pendant glittered at his throat, three feathers around a triangle stone.

However, it was his face that was most distinctive. Two silver earrings hung from his left ear while a black and grey band covered his right eye. A faint blue mist escaped from under that patch, while his other eye was a piercing shade of green. Black and gold hair was pulled back in a single braid at the base of his neck.

Everyone gathered in the hall stared at these four new visitors, silence reigning while they waited for the Steward to announce the name of the stranger who seemed so familiar.

"Presenting Sir Gabranth Ronsenburg, Captain of the Black Paladins; Lady Lulu Besaid, Court Magician and Black Mage; Sir Zelconius Dintch, of the Royal Guards; and his Grace, Duke Nicoli Bloodwing of the Theatre District."

The crowd turned to the youngest man, watching as a grin spread across his visage and four wings, one pair a dark grey and the other a deep crimson, spread from his back.

"Hail, and well met, lords and ladies of the Court. Was I missed?" Nicoli asked, his voice raspy as if from lack of use.

_**IX IX IX IX IX IX IX IX IX**_

_Well, that's our prologue. Hope it turned out ok, since I'm semi-new to this. You know the rules: Read and Review, tell me how I did, and flames will be used to laugh at the individual in the author's notes of the next chapter. You have been warned in that regard._

_-GC_


	2. Ch I: Exit, stage UP!

_Hail and well met. If you're reading this, that means you're sticking around. Why, I don't know, but you are, all the same. First things first, I'm going to warn you that updates from me are like shooting stars: Rare and random. That being said, I would also like to inform you lot that we are exiting the third person narrative we had in the prologue and are now going with first person except in rare instances, and those will be noted as changing before it happens._

_If, for some reason, you are _still _reading this, than let the chapter begin!_

_-GC_

_**Chapter I: Exit, Stage UP!**_

I groaned, clutching my head as I listened to the damned yelling in the other room. Each word was another sledgehammer blow to my sensitive ears while the light from the mirrored lantern in the center of the room stabbed into my eyes. Curse the bastard who'd come up with the idea in the first place! The insidious thing would have been broken by now if not for the whole, 'Seven Years Bad Luck' curse that was placed on each one; multiply that by sixteen, and I was never going to risk even a crack in the vicinity of one.

An echoing thump was my signal to enter the room, and with a wince, I did as was rehearsed. My eyes flicked around the blessedly dim room, taking in the four thieves before finally landing on Baku. Even through the haze of my hangover, I could see him grinning. All I did was glare in response, my eyes flicking across the occupants again before returning to the cheat. _'I'm never playing another drinking game with him again,'_ I thought. I was sorely tempted to start cursing at him, but that would have made him grin even more.

Instead, I asked in my quiet, rasping voice, "Didn't think to wait?" It'd been a little over a year since I got my voice back, yet I still rarely talked.

He shrugged, that grin never leaving his face. "I didn't know you were awake yet; figured you'd need some extra sleep, considering last night."

I just growled; we both knew that Baku had cheated with his glass. We also knew that I couldn't prove it. A stinging retort was about to leave my lips when the masked thief with the hammer on his back spoke up.

"Uh, boss? Who is this guy?" he asked, staring at me with something close to distrust; an understandable reaction, considering Baku had been the only one to know I was on board when the _Prima Vista_ left port in Treno.

"His name's Nicoli, and he'll be takin' over for Marcus tonight," was the response he got in Baku's usual half-growl. The others blinked, glancing between me, Baku, and the actor in question.

"Bud, Boss, I'b god this damb cold under condrol!" the bandana wearing thief managed to say, right before he fell into a sneezing fit. Baku shook his head, looking rather irritated with his crew member.

"And that's exactly why I called in my favor; you should have gotten a remedy back in Treno, like I told you to. Better yet, you should have gotten one in Lindblum when you first started feeling sick!"

Marcus looked properly chastised by then, and I had to feel a bit of sympathy for him; it wasn't his fault he got the cold, and it's not like he wanted it in the first place. However, he should have taken care of it when he was ordered to in Treno. That would have prevented me from having to go on stage in the first place.

"No offence to you or our guest, boss, but how do we know this guy's even qualified? None of us know him, or how he acts," the scarred one said, giving me an apologetic smile. I couldn't help but to smile in return. It was a very good question, and a very logical concern. Baku, on the other hand, started to chuckle, though from him, it sounded more like a zagnohl.

"Baku, it's a logical concern," I said, giving him a sharp glare. He just started laughing harder, the zagnohl replaced by a behemoth.

"It may be logical, Nick, but it's still funny!" he replied, grinning like a fool as he turned to his men. "Boys, this man in front of you has a very well known stage name." The big man started chuckling again at their curious expressions as all four looked between me and him. I just shook my head before I coughed, drawing their attention back to me.

With a small grin and another glare at Baku, I dipped my hand into my belt and withdrew the familiar mask that would cover my distinctive hair and top half of my face. As I pulled it on, their eyes widened in recognition when they put the final clues together with the mask; there was only one person I could be. The only two remaining unsurprised were Baku and the blonde thief, Zidane.

"Boys, let me introduce to you my old buddy, Nicoli Dmitriev…" Baku said.

"The Grim Jester," I finished, using the traditional bow between actors; a hand behind the back while the other was extended out to the side.

_**IX IX IX IX IX IX IX IX IX**_

"So, how've you been, Nico?" Zidane asked as I started getting ready in the dressing room. Blank and Cina had already gone off to help with last minute preparations of the set, leaving me and the blonde to do some catching up; it's a good thing the others thought we were getting acquainted so we could better work together.

"How am I ever, Zidane? Tired as the Fat Choccobo and wishing dear Lady Karma would take her bad days out on someone else," I replied, folding my triple jointed wings close around my body. It was the easiest way for me to go around town unknown, especially since the only other sentients with wings were the Elder dragons in their lofty peaks and moogles scattered around the world; both creatures with a lot longer lifespan then mine. I mean, the average moogle lived half a millennium if left alone. So far, the oldest one known was Stiltsken at four hundred.

"You with mounds of fat and yellow feathers… Sorry, not an image I can readily imagine without dieing of laughter. And you can't honestly still believe that karma is out to get you." I heard a chuckle and shot him a glare via mirror. He was still leaning against the door frame while I was putting on the finishing touches to my disguise. I knew it was just harmless teasing, though; it was just as if I was one of the other members of Tantalus. Then again, he _was_ one of eight people in the world who knew that Nicoli Dimitriev, the Grim Jester, and Duke Nicoli Gabriel Bloodwing were one and the same.

"Yes, I still believe karma hates me; how else would you explain that damn Mu we found in my pack that'd eaten most of my supplies?" I asked, jerking on my usual black chain mesh coat before pulling on a full sleeved behemoth leather jacket; I don't care what those damned bastards in the Monster Protection Society say, behemoth leather is extremely comfortable.

"You had something tasty?"

"We were in the middle of the air."

"It got on somewhere between stops?"

"We had all the supplies needed for the trip and it was the beginning of the journey."

"It was after the Festival?"

"We were heading out from Midgar, and the festival had still been two months away."

"… Alright, I give up. Karma hates you."

"Thank you," I said, pulling on the black steel mask. My stage sword was belted to my waist, but my scythe and short sword were hidden underneath my wings. It wasn't very comfortable, and it was a bit chaffing on my wings, but I could handle that; luckily, my bones weren't hollow. I checked everything over one last time, making sure it was all secure.

"Ok, Ziddy, let's go wow them."

_**IX IX IX IX IX IX IX IX IX**_

"When yon bell strikes three, under the axe thou shall be!" King Leo gloated with a maniacal laugh.

"Only if thy fetid stench doth not rob the poor headsman of his sport," I growled, spitting on the ground between us.

"Insolent wretch! Whilst thy neck stretches upon the block, will thy tongue still wag at thy betters with such sadism?" the play-king roared, looking for all the world as if _he_ wanted to swing the axe.

"'Tis what brought thy fair daughter into mine arms. If she had not been driv'n from the palace by thy pitiful 'suitors', then we would not have met in mine tavern. Thou hath the power to blame none but thy own greedy self, foolish King Leo. In truth, I shouldst thank thee for thy disastrous attempts at wealth! Hadst thou not done thus, I would nev'r met mine beloved." 'Leo' began snarling at me, his hands wringing; he wanted to wrap them around my throat, that much was obvious.

"Commoner filth! Bastard heir to a mongrel! Need I silence thy wagging tongue with a knife? Damn thy blackn'd soul to the deepest depths of Hades! Though my daughter be struck blind, deaf, and dumb by thine serpentine hissing, I shall not be! To the last, I refuse to see thee as my successor, peasant scum. Thou shalt die by mine own hand, dog, before such a thing could come about. I shall never see thee as mine heir. No matter what she doth say, my Cornelia shall not be yours; this, I swear! All shall know thine name, Marcus, as the fool who dared try to love outside his place in life. Thy head will hang from the battlements as a testament to all that love is a fantasy best left to a child's tales. And furthermore—"

It was at that moment Garnet and Zidane showed up. Without waiting for a prompt, I wrapped the princess in a tight embrace, calling 'Cornelia' for the audience. "Cornelia is Marcus' lover. Go with it, and we'll be able to get out of here," I hissed in her ear. I felt her nod slightly against my shoulder before she wrapped her arms around my back. "Oh, Marcus!"

"Perfect, Your Highness. You're a natural.," I whispered as a knight clad in slightly rusted armor came from the depths of the ship. If my guess was correct, he was the princess's guardian.

"Oh, Marcus, I missed you so! I wish never to leave thy side; prithee, lead me from this place!" Garnet sobbed.

Zidane took his cue with practiced ease, falling into his role like the natural he was. "See, King Leo? Thou shouldst give them thy blessing!"

'Leo' looked rather thoughtful for a moment before snarling out, "Never!" Oh, boy, here she blows...

"Never leave his side, thou sayest?" he mocked, putting on a horrible imitation of Garnet before spitting on the ground. "Foolish banter! I'll not allow it! Cornelia shall marry none other than this man- Prince Schneider!" The play-king added, clapping his hand down on the knight's shoulder. "Is that not so, Prince Schneider?"

"M-Marry the princess? Me!" 'Schneider' gasped. I was tempted to hit the knight for his horrendous performance, but ruining the scene would make Baku kill me. _'Just a few more minutes, and it'll all be over…'_ I thought, resisting the urge to roll my eyes.

"Aye! And this treacherous crew, I shall put to death!" With that, he snapped his fingers, sending Zenero and Benero after us. Odd though it may seem, there is actually a way to tell them apart: Zenero has a green 'Z' stitched into his leather armor, and Benero has a blue 'B' in his. But, that's neither here nor there. Going right along with the play, Zidane punched Benero across the masked muzzle while I kicked Zenero in the chest.

"Ooof! There's too many of them!"

"Oww! Run away!" And, without anything more to say, the twins ran off stage, giving us a salute from the eves. Leo approached Garnet now, acting as if he was a pained father who only wanted what was best for his daughter, instead of a greedy bastard son of a Fang. "Pray, sweet daughter, come home to the castle with me," he crooned, honey and sugar dripping from his tongue.

"Nay, Father! I shant return!" the princess refused, clinging to my arm in defiance. In seconds, the play-king's sweet act was gone, replaced with a barely controlled fury. "Cornelia... Trouble me no more. This wedding is for thine own wellfare; be mindful of that."

I growled. "Not if I can help it! Now is my moment of vengeance; for my parents, and for my love, Cornelia," I said, drawing the glittering prop. "I shall cut thee down!" My blade leapt forward... Straight into the 'heart' of my 'beloved'. With a gasp, she fell from the bright weapon, collapsing on the stage.

"No... Cornelia!" I cried, holding her left hand in both of mine. 'Leo' was kneeling at her side, sobbing at the sight of his only 'daughter' dead on the ground.

"Mar...cus, forgive me. I still love my father..."

"Cornelia!" the king sobbed, taking her right in his.

"Princess!" the knight screamed, still waving his hands. _'I wonder how long he can do that...'_

"Prithee, forgive my foolishness, Father, and spare my sweet Marcus..." And, with those final, breathless words, fair Cornelia died. The sorrow emanating from the audience was so thick, it could be cut with a dull knife.

"What have I done? Am I never to hear her loving voice again? Am I cursed never again to feel her soft touch? O, cruel fate! Thou has robbed me of all I treasure!" I screamed, grabbing my fallen blade. Not one for being dramatic and giving pause, I rammed the weapon into my own 'heart', ending my life on stage. A pained gasp was all that signaled my departure of the 'cruel world'.

"Marcus!" Zidane called, rushing to my 'corpse'. I almost smirked, but my head was turned towards the audience; that would have ruined the performance.

"Forgive me!" 'Leo' cried.

"Princess!" 'Schneider' continued to wail. If he kept that up, it would ruin the play. _'Just a few more minutes, and you can beat the hell out of him, Bloodwing. Just keep yourself under control.'_

However, Karma proved her hatred of me in that exact moment; a little child dressed in a patched coat and a drooping old hat came running onto the stage, a pair of guards chasing behind him. He leapt over 'Cornelia's corpse' and turned to face his pursuers.

"Leave me alone!" the boy cried, raising his hands. From both of his palms, flames erupted and landed on the nearest flammable object: The princess' hooded robe!

With a scream, the girl jumped to her feet, jerking off the robe and throwing it as far away as she could. "By Shiva, that's hot!" she said. The crowd started growing restless, people yelling and nobles cursing.

"Baku, I think it might be a good time for us to get out of here," I said, letting my voice raise above its usually light tones to carry around to the small group. He nodded and started giving orders, sending his crew off to do their jobs. I glanced around, taking in the positions of guards, scenery, and the size of our stage; if worst case scenario, this would end in a battle royal against three well trained knights. Best case scenario, the knights would show a glimmer of intelligence and let us go.

I looked at the little mage; he wore a dazed expression as he watched the unfolding chaos, his hands worrying the brim of his hat. Kneeling down, I gently took his hands away from the fabric. "If you keep that up, you'll need to get a new hat," I said gently, giving him a small smile. "Now, what's your name?"

"… Vivi, sir." He said, his voice only an octave louder than mine. _'I guess he's shy around strangers,'_ I thought, nodding.

"Well, Vivi, my name isn't 'Sir'; it's Nicoli, and I would feel honored if you used it," I replied, my smile growing at his shy nod. Already a plan was forming in my mind to get the little black mage to open up more; it would help him in the long run if he was more outgoing. However, my thoughts were soon drawn to a different matter entirely.

"Steiner, stop following me!" the princess commanded, giving him a glare that could cool molten magma. Note to self: Never get on her bad side, if she could pull off what that look promised…

The large knight seemed to think about it for a moment, before he turned around and shook his head, devotion to his duty clear in his expression. "I apologize, Your Highness, but I can not follow that order."

"Stubborn as always, aren't you?" she replied, the question more of a statement then anything else.

"Sir Knight, your duty is to protect the princess from harm, is it not?" I asked. A terse nod was my only response aside from a questioning look from the three on my companions. "Then why not join us and perform your duty? From the way she is acting, I think Princess Garnet _wants_ to go to Lindblum."

Steiner stared at me, suspicion clear in his eyes as he weighed the options. Finally, he shook his head. "While your suggestion is an honorable one, I will not ally myself willingly with thieves and murderers," he growled, drawing the broadsword that was an inch shy of being a claymore out of its sheath on his back. I will say this about the knight: Rusty his armor may be, but the same can not be said for his blade. The weapon gleamed under the stage lights, the honed edge seeming to cut the light in half.

I nodded in response, unclasping the belt holding the sheath for the prop sword to my waist. With deliberate slowness, I reached under my chain mesh coat and drew out the matched red blades of the Ripper set: Slash, the jagged short sword in my left hand, and Gash, the curving, reinforced steel scythe in my right. A quick glance at my belt grid told me that the Man Eater sphere was slotted in place, the sinister looking orb glowing with a hellish inner fire.

Another quick glance revealed my companions similarly armed; Zidane had drawn his daggers, his belt grid empty of spheres. Garnet had a beautifully crafted rod, the ornate globe at the end glowing with power. Finally, Vivi was holding a twisted oak staff, a mixture of heat, charge and cold energy extending from the focus. The thief caught my gaze and nodded, bringing the twin blades up into a stance designed to fit his style: Taunting the enemy into going for openings that didn't exist, and hitting hard when they fell for the trap.

A sharp nod was his response as I dropped into my own stance, Slash held reversed and across my stomach, the blunt edge running against my forearm while Gash weaved in a complex pattern of curves and angles. Watching Steiner enter a rigid stance with that monstrous sword held at his side, the tip pointing straight up, I noted the flaw was his ankles. They locked in place, leaving him stiff and taut as a bow string. Immediately, I started planning on how to hamstring the large man, and almost immediately shot the idea down; it would be beyond hateful to do anything like that, and I seriously doubted the princess would be impressed.

So, to keep the peace, I shifted my gaze to the knight at his left side. His weakness, just from taking in his stance, was his desire to be elsewhere and his hesitance. _'Target sighted. Move into position and take him down with minimal damage,'_ I thought, darting forward. Zidane had followed my lead, apparently, and was darting at the knight to Steiner's left.

The knight in front of me was thrown off balance from my abrupt charge, and quickly brought up his heavy blade in time to block the dual slashes from either side, his blade caught in the middle. A kick forced me to disengage, dodging the sharpened steel spike on the tip. _'Target reevaluation: Upgrading from pink to yellow,'_ was my reaction as he settled into a firmer stance, his sword held ready for a duel. Without preamble, he acted, blade whistling in for a hard slash at my ribcage. Right as Gash slipped into position to block and Slash went to counter, the opposing blade pulled back. Too little too late I recognized the feint as the long sword struck my leg, opening a good two inches on my thigh. Luckily, my mesh coat had gotten in the way before he could make it deeper.

"Ok, I'll admit that I underestimated you. It won't happen again," I rasped, lunging forward. Slash dove for his exposed side, only for his sword to block the vicious blade's descent. However, he wasn't expecting Gash to rip through his breastplate and leave a thin, bloody wound from collarbone to hip. He jumped back, staring in shock first at the ruined steel and then at the dark red metal of the scythe.

I held up the blade, the stage lights glinting off the lighter colored liquid at its tip. "Rending enchantment. Count yourself lucky it wasn't Slash that got you; it has a venom stone slotted into the blade," I said, falling back into my normal stance. The wound in my thigh was starting to burn, signaling that a potion was going to be needed soon.

"Rending and venom enchantments? I'm not getting paid enough for this, and I'm late for my date," he said, jumping off stage and taking off through the crowd. I watched him weave through for a bit before shrugging, stabbing Slash into the stage and fishing a potion from my belt. I swear, potions were designed to encourage people to be very careful in battle. Imagine having to swallow something with the texture of slime, the taste of sulfur, and the smell of mildew, and you'll have your typical, mass produced healing potion. Not to mention the fact that if you kept drinking the damned things, the effects started to wear off.

That's why I am always very diligent in stocking up on Lulu's home made potions. Hers have the texture, taste and smell of lemonade; how she does it when every other healing potion tastes like they were created from boiled socks, I'll never know.

Jerking my sword from the stage after downing the draught, I turned back to the matter at hand. From the look of things, the other young knight had been taken care of, leaving only one foe left, and by far the most dangerous: Steiner. Already I could tell that Zidane was a bit hammered; in fact, if little Vivi hadn't launched a fireball into the large man's face, the thief would have been run through. Instead, all he received was a good sized gash across his shoulder.

I didn't think when I slammed the pommels of my twin weapons together. With a twist and a **'click'**, it changed from two separate weapons into a single, two ended scythe, the handle roughly the size of a thief's sword. Memories came flooding back of how often Gabranth had beaten me senseless with his own unique set, the Kingslayer. Those two blades had more blood spilt on them then most, each one coming from a darker history.

The click my weapons made when they came together was loud enough that it drew the knight's attention, causing him to turn and face me. I saluted him with Ripper before falling back into the rarely used stance, holding the unique weapon across my body with my left shoulder facing my foe. I watched as he returned the salute with his gleaming steel. As if on some untold signal, the two of us suddenly charged forward, the sickle end of the scythe clashing hard with the sword before a sharply pointed foot lashed at my seemingly exposed leg. A harsh ring told of the steel shoe encountering my calf, and thus my own metal boot. We broke apart before charging again, this time the two sword blades adding their peal to the steely concert. My leg shot out, the cold iron of my boot clashing hard with his steel-encased stomach; it didn't cause any damage, but it at least broke the seeming stalemate.

Steiner charged again, his heavy blade moving almost impossibly fast. _'Note: Activating crystal eye to search for enchantments,'_ I thought, more of the icy blue mist pouring out from under my eye patch and mask. Even as the scythe caught the sword blade, the hidden, sapphire blue stone embedded in my socket suddenly felt colder, the enchantments layered on it allowing me to 'see' the whatever spells were woven into the Captain's blade, armor, or padded clothing. It came as an absolute shock when I found only the standard blacksmith's chants of strengthening, temperance, and rust prevention folded into the sword. _'Opponent seems to have no added spells. Upgrading threat level from orange to red.'_

The sudden onrush of strikes caught me off guard, the gleaming weapon glancing off my darker blades with the ferocity of a cornered Fang. I kept looking for an opening, and found several that I couldn't get to unless I had the chance to disconnect Ripper back into Slash and Gash, something that would have put me at a drastic disadvantage against the knight's quick, heavy strikes. My only chance would have been to open my wings, but that became a moot point when something happened that should have spelled my end: I tripped over the prop sword I'd discarded earlier.

Looking up at Steiner as he raised the sword for the finishing blow, I saw a grudging respect in his eyes. Somehow, I'd managed to earn it during our battle. Just as the sword started its descent, the knight staggered, the honed blade sinking into the wooden stage scant inches from my left side. When the leather gloved hand of Zidane Tribal entered my field of vision, I felt I could guess what had happened.

"Nice kick, chimp. What took you so long?" I rasped, taking the offer and letting him pull me to my feet. I reached down and picked up Ripper, resting the hateful weapon on my left shoulder. He smirked back at me and pointed at the downed knight's exposed back plate. Four deep scratches formed an 'X' in the dead center, with a dagger sized hole in the middle of the figure. It wasn't enough to cause much more than a flesh wound, but it would be distracting for a while. I just shook my head and quickly steadied myself as the airship lurched.

"Took him long enough," Zidane grumbled, sheathing his heavy bladed dagger at his left hip and its lighter brother on his calf. I gave a nod before the ship lurched again, this time from the massive harpoon that pierced the deck. Within seconds, several more pounded into the stage and hull, keeping us from rising much higher. I looked around, my crystal eye acting as a spyglass as it landed on the Queen of Alexandria waving her fat arm around. If one looked close enough, one could almost see the woman who had once been known as the Rose of Shiva, one of the most beautiful women of the Mist Continent.

My thoughts were jerked back to the present as the massive royal sigil split down the center, revealing a cannon forged of black steel. A resounding gulp sounded as the weapon trained its sights on the ship. From its depths, a black sphere covered in crests shot forth, breaking apart to unleash one of the mariner's worst foes: A Bomb.

The thing floated behind Steiner, who had finally managed to regain his feet. He glared at us, bringing his heavy sword up in his normal stance. "Prepare yourselves, scoundrels!"

"Captain, I would highly suggest looking behind you," I called. Instead of the knight answering or listening to my suggestion, he charged, tip managing to cut a gash through my grey wing on my left side, removing feathers and some skin. Blood started to pour from the wound as I hissed in pain. His next swing was aimed at my neck. Luckily, a burst of fire knocked him back enough for the blade to miss me by a literal hair. "Leave him alone," a small voice called. _'Perhaps young Vivi has less to go then I originally thought...'_ I smiled, nodding my thanks to the small black mage. He adjusted his hat with his left hand, his right keeping his gnarled focus aimed at the knight.

"Rusty, look behind you," Zidane shouted, a few seconds after Garnet had used a Cure spell on him to heal the large wound on his chest. It seemed to me that the monkey tailed thief was getting the same treatment I'd received before. That is to say, being attacked rather than answered.

"I'll not fall for such obvious tricks!" The knight growled, taking another swing at me. I got Ripper up in time to block, but only just. A counterattack opened up a thin slash through his armor, but not enough to slice skin. Zidane tried to plant a dagger into the knight's ribs, but received a steel fist to his own ribs for his troubles. As he regained his breath, Zidane noticed the same thing I had: The Bomb was growing.

"Ye gods," I whispered, disassembling Ripper and sheathing the individual parts.

"It's gonna blow!" Zidane screamed, sheathing his daggers and pulling Garnet behind one of the thick set walls. I shrugged off my leather coat and put it over Vivi to protect him from the ensuing blast. As Steiner finally turned to gaze in pure horror at the gigantic monster, cracks began to form in its burning skin, the pressurized gases and flame inside it starting to escape. Just as Steiner managed to dive behind a wall, the thing exploded. Dust, smoke, and flames surrounded the ship.

Tightly closing my regular eye, I concentrated on the crystal one to see through the fog. My eye went over the demolished set to fall on the gloating Queen Brahne, her grotesque face positively glowing with joy. As the smoke finally cleared and the _Prima Vista_ started to soar over the buildings, I watched her rage as her fan snapped. From her expression, the message was clear: This was only the beginning.

When we were safely away from the city, a resounding explosion signaled the death of one of the turbines used to propel the ship. Almost immediately, we started going down, the nose end drawing us the massive forest below. I quickly jerked my wings through the holes in my metal coat, but I wasn't fast enough: We hit the ground hard, and the remaining turbine was still pushing us forward. Immediately, I was thrown from the ship; trying to manipulate my flight with my wings only ended with both of them on my left side being broken.

The last thing I saw was a blonde blur shooting past before my back and head encountered a tree. All I knew was pain, seconds before falling into the comforting darkness.

_**IX IX IX IX IX IX IX IX IX**_

_Well, that's chapter one, finally finished. It took much longer than it should have, but we can't have everything._

_As usual, reviews make the world go round, the story continue, and also help me improve. And believe me, there is always room to improve on something._

_And, just as a warning: All flames will be used as kindling in my fireplace._

_-GC_


	3. Ch II: Rage of the Forest

_**AN: Hail and well met. I don't really have any excuses for how late this is, except that I am fighting addiction. No, not to drugs, though in a way, you could say that there's little difference. Because of my brother, his friend, and one of my own friends, I am currently addicted to Mass Effect, Fallout 3, Oblivion, and Assassin's Creed II. **_

_**Ironically enough, though most people consider me a few shades away from sadistic, I'm working on becoming a corpsman in the Navy. Wish me luck, guys and gals.**_

_**Now, on case of this chapter, the aforementioned addictions are only a few of the things that affected the time line on it. It was also a nightmare to get written. So, without any further procrastinating on my part, I give you the latest chapter from the Hymns.**_

_**Fair warning: Long chapter is long…**_

_**-GC**_

_**Ch. II: Rage of the Forest**_

_**IX IX IX IX IX IX IX IX IX**_

_He sank deeper and deeper into the darkness caressing him, the pain rippling through him slowly fading away. As he drifted, his mind began to enter an eternal sleep. Before he could fall any further, however, something wrapped itself around him, and, just as slowly, began to draw him out of his descent. When his eyes finally opened, he found himself gazing into a pair of mercurial globes with slits a few shades darker than the surrounding silver. The eyes almost shone with resignation as the semi-familiar, black-and-blue scaled visage shook its' head. _

"_Oh, Gabriel, what are we going to do with you?" it hissed, a small smile flitting across the reptilian features._

_With a gentle claw, it brushed the hair from the youths' eyes. The contact sent the young man as memory after sealed memory was released into his… _No, _my_ mind. Image after image, each one complete with sound, sight, scent, taste and touch, tore through my brain as if a flood gate had been opened. I could smell the desert and ocean as I stood on Biknel Island, while tasting a chocolate sundae from the old ice cream parlor in Utah on one of the family trips. I listened to Lulus' humming as she mixed up one of her concoctions by the campfire, even as I felt the agony of my body ripped apart during the bike crash that killed me.

As the image of my once-family saying their final farewells to my corpse receded, I looked at the bipedal lizard who gave me a chance at new life. Slowly, I found my voice again, 'standing' up again in the void.

"Benediction… Ben… Why didn't you give these back to me four years ago?" I rasped, my voice a strange mixture of a dead man's baritone and a warrior's sandpaper growl.

That little smile of his shifted, turning from a warm, sad grin into a warm, sarcastic smirk. "Because you never slept long enough for me to enter your mind, Archangel. For someone of your intelligence, you tend to ask amazingly stupid questions," he replied, a playful edge to the rebuke easing the sting.

I felt my cheeks heating and glared at him while he laughed. Just as a truly scathing retort formed on my tongue, a strange thought occurred to me; the last time we spoke, my 'brother', as he named himself, had said I had a task to complete. As I locked gazes with him, he nodded, his visage becoming grim.

"Yes, your task was to save the Regents' life. However, while you did stop the rule of a man who would have been a tyrant, the fact that you killed the assassin in cold blood, while no doubt effective, changed your purpose. Into what, I am unable to See, but you were originally meant to be a source of stability when your group was on the verge of breaking apart. In particular, the stability between the Loyal Knight and the Honorable Rouge," he hissed. Before he could say any more, the 'world' around us began to shake. Light began to break through the growing cracks.

Ben cursed, even as his wings wrapped tightly around him, his form seeming to shift and waver in the growing light. "Time for you to wake up, little brother; I'll try to find some way to contact you more reliably next time."

With those final words, the void shattered, giving way to the searing pain of the real world.

_**IX IX IX IX IX IX IX IX IX**_

Pain was the first thing I noticed, the second being the naming of the origin point as my left upper wing. The reason I knew exactly where the pulsating agony was coming from was because someone kept shaking that shoulder, thus jarring the abused limb and sending daggers into my brain. My crystal eye opened, the blue tinted view revealing my 'attacker' as a certain blonde male with a monkey's tail. Without even thinking about it, I reached up with one of my clawed hands and wrapped it in his hair, jerking him close enough that his cerulean eyes were roughly a few inches from my mismatched pair.

"Zidane Alexander Tribal, are you _trying_ to get hurt?" I growled, slowly noticing that the usual pattern I see through my eye patch was missing, along with the fact that I could feel the thief's strangely soft hair through my glove. I let go and he quickly backed up, giving me the opportunity to gaze at my silvery hand covered by only a few scraps of the leather glove I once wore over it. A glance at my left revealed the material there to be in only slightly better condition. Searching my belt pouches, I was able to find my potions and the small mirror I kept, all unbroken.

'_And Lulu said it was a waste of gil to get the insides expanded and protected,'_ I thought, using the mirror to check my eye. Sure enough, the usual red and grey band was missing; instead, the unique sapphire embedded in the socket was glowing with its' cold fire, icy blue mist leaking from the corners and lower lid. I sighed, taking a quick inventory of my body and equipment. The search revealed that my wing was the greatest injury, aside from a few small cuts and bruises. Luckily, it was only dislocated; setting it back in place would be simple, though painful, and a potion would set it on the path of healing far enough that it would take a few days instead of months.

My equipment wasn't as fortunate. There were several holes in my tunic, and the right sleeve was completely missing; luckily, my coat was mostly unharmed, a few missing links along the bottom edge being the biggest issue. That could be easily repaired if I could get a coil of wire, a strong flame, a hammer and a small anvil.

However, the most damning by far, was the fact that my scythe and sword were almost completely destroyed. They wouldn't be salvageable until we found a good blacksmith, and even then it wasn't a sure thing. The haft of Gash was broken beyond use, the wood splintered around the warped steel core running through it, while its' blade had been reduced to the spine. Slash was, if possible, in even worse condition: The blade was shattered inside its' sheath, while most of the hilt was gone, only enough edge and handle left to make a small dagger. Luckily, the two soul gem lodged in the cross guard of either weapon was still intact. It was hard to find transferable soul gems, and even harder to get them.

With another sigh, I muttered the spell that opened the belt pouch on my left hip wide enough to fit the ruins inside before closing to its' original size. As I leaned back against a tree, a sharp spike of pain reminded me of my wing. When I was able to look up, I found Zidane gazing at me with worry in his eyes. I growled once before I slammed my back into the tree, angled enough that it jerked the ball joint of my wing back into the socket.

I would _like_ to say that all I did was grunt with discomfort at the sensation of popping my join back into place; that it didn't hurt that much. I would like say that, but that was as far from the truth as Gaia was from the stars.

A bestial scream of rage and agony tore out of my throat, echoing through the trees and sending birds into the sky. I blacked out for a moment before Zidane was able to get me back into the world of the living long enough to force a potion down my throat. Even as I coughed, I could feel my wing becoming less tender, the burning agony fading into a dull throb easily pushed into the back of my mind. I gave a nod of appreciation to the thief and he smiled back.

"Thanks, chimp," I growled, pulling myself to my feet. I was able to close my wings tightly enough that they wouldn't be damaged again in the dense forest. It would be a while before I could glide again, let alone fly.

"Hey, no problem, bird-brain," he replied easily, folding his hands behind his head. "Nice tats, by the way."

I almost asked what he was talking about until I glanced at my arm and remembered. It had been back when I had just gotten my voice back and traveling. Zell had managed to convince Noah to let me go drinking with them. By the end of the night, I was absolutely shitfaced nasty drunk, while the two warriors were still mostly sober. Somehow, they'd convinced me to get tattooed. When I woke up the next morning, I had a massive hangover, my mouth felt like a behemoth had used it for a bathroom, and I ached from my forearms to my shoulders and down my back and chest in a pair of 'V's. Lulu took one look at the transparent bandages covering most of my torso and protecting my new tribal tattoos, and then did something that made me swear off binge drinking: She brought in an engraver and let him loose on every piece of metal embedded in my skin. By the time the gag was pulled from my mouth, the markings on my flesh covered every inch of metallic plating in my arms and chest, and reached down to my finger tips in such a way that I was left with 'claws' on each hand.

I refused to speak with any of them for most of a month.

A loud howl jerked me from my thoughts just in time to catch a Fang and slam it back first into a tree, a branch running through its' stomach as I turned to see an entire pack of them surrounding us. Zidane had already slain three while I was preoccupied, and was busy on a fourth when another tried to attack him from behind. I leapt forward, grabbing the creature and putting my marked claws through the thick skull and into the brains.

"Did we wake you from your daydream? So sorry," Zidane snapped, drawing another dagger after a practiced throw that embedded the previous weapons' blade into a skull. The new dagger was soon wetted with blood as he slashed another's throat and opened its' guts in the same move. I'll say this: While he is a team player, Zidane Tribal was very capable of fighting on his own.

"Sorry for getting caught up in my memories, Zidane. I'll try to keep them under control until we're on an airship again," I replied easily, snapping a neck while caving a chest cavity in with a lethal kick. Another kick sent a Fang reeling into its' fellows, while a knife hand slit a throat with my sharp talons.

Making sure to avoid each other while we worked, Zidane and I slashed and crushed, smashed and slammed the monsters to the point of retreat, the larger alpha male being the last to fall before they broke. Blood, fur, teeth, bones and corpses littered the forest floor in a nightmarish circle of death and chaos. The only things still breathing were the two of us and the Fang I'd first planted in the tree, though that was slowly ending. Using one of Zidanes' spent daggers, I ended its' misery. I came down from the bloody ecstasy of battle while the thief raided our victims. A pack of twenty fangs attacked us. We slaughtered all but eight, including the alpha.

While it had felt longer, it took only fifteen minutes.

We cleaned ourselves at a nearby stream, the sand and rushing water working to clean out the grooves on my hands. Zidane polished his main two daggers, the others only getting cleaned off before returning to their hidden sheathes. As we continued on our way in silence, we understood why the Fangs had attacked in the first place: Me. If I hadn't screamed the way I did, they wouldn't have tracked us with the hopes of an easy meal. Instead, I had caused a massacre and alerted the entire forest to the fact that strangers were in its' borders, all because I wasn't smart enough to gag myself before I dealt with my dislocated wing.

Still walking in silence, we came to a cliff overlooking a large clearing and a wrecked airship. The fact that it was still burning told us exactly what it was: The Prima Vista. At almost the same time, we jumped, Zidane bouncing from tree to tree with grace born from hours of practice. I opted for a more direct approach and used my claws to slide down the trees, jumping to the next one when my descent started to slow.

Zidane reached the ground first, taking off sprinting while I landed and noticed something half buried in the thick loam. It took a minute, but I was soon able to free a dark, two handed scythe, the bony hands of its' previous master still clutching it.

"I apologize for this, but I am in greater need then you," I whispered, just before breaking the vine covered bones and freeing the seemingly ancient weapon. Closer inspection revealed the viridian blade and jet black shaft start to merge, offshoots of both decorating the entire weapon. A series of thorns covered the spine and head of the scythe, while a 'nest' of them curled around an emerald the size of my fist set in the pommel. The head itself was designed to look like the skull of a dragon, the blade extending from its' open jaws. A pair of sockets set in the ivory gaped where the eyes would be. Almost as if answering a call, I slipped the two ruby red soul gems into the sockets, a click signaling that they fit perfectly.

"Thorn," I whispered, eyes widening when the shaft and blade collapsed to the size of a mace, the perfect fit for the now empty loop on my belt. As I put my new weapon in its' home, I shook my head. _'Was this your doing, Ben?'_ I thought, jogging towards the crash site, only to see Zidane take off like a bolt, the look in his eyes a mixture of determination and fear.

"Where's he going?" I asked, not really expecting the thief to answer.

"We heard a scream a second ago; he's off to go save the princess," Cina replied, leaning on the pommel of his large hammer. I could feel his glass covered eyes staring at me as I shook my head. "What's it to you?"

"Nothin'," was the quiet, raspy response he received before I took off after my friend, the darkness inside the log swallowing me just as it had Zidane.

_**IX IX IX IX IX IX IX IX IX**_

'_Maybe this wasn't such a good idea,'_ I thought as a vine about as thick as my thigh slammed into where I had been standing moments before.

When I had caught up to Zidane, he and the knight were fighting a large plant. What's more, the leaves on top of its' head formed a cage; and inside that cage, the little black mage, Vivi, was trembling like he was caught in a hurricane. Seeing the child defenseless made something in me growl, and I found myself lashing out at the creature, Thorn's blade and 'eyes' glowing with an unholy light. Just before the tip of the dark weapon bit into the plant-cage, the entire blade burst into emerald green flames, licking and charring the monsters' rubbery flesh.

It let loose a horrible screech, before it sent me flying into a tree, Thorn knocked from my grip and embedding itself blade first, the pommel stone resting even with my head as I gathered my wits on the ground. Before I could get to my feet, however, one of its' fine lashed out like a whip, sending me airborne again, this time into the knight. Obviously, my metallic cushion wasn't too appreciative of that…

"Get off me, bastard!" was the only warning I received before being thrown clear, landing in the rotten water a little ways down the path. As I helped myself up, I noticed something I hadn't before: Zidane was glowing neon pink.

Not only was he pink, he looked to be completely nude, but covered in enough fur to retain his dignity. _'Thank Bahamut for small blessings,'_ I thought, eyes widening as he unleashed a blast of energy into the beast. It unleashed another of its' screams, followed by a lash from its' left vine; Zidane, however, was able to avoid it while Captain Steiner scored a hit to its' back, opening a tear long enough to fit a man inside. The most amazing event was when Vivi, even through his obvious predicament, unleashed a torrent of flames along the base of the things' roots, giving it a serious case of 'hot foot'.

Not to be left out, I got back to my feet, just in time to leap aside as a wild swing came a little too close to flattening me for comfort. I could almost hear Noah and Zell yelling at me; the former for loosing my weapon, the latter for not paying attention. Luckily, I had landed by the tree that claimed my scythe, the blade still burning, though it didn't seem to affect the tree. As I pulled Thorn from its' wooden sheathe, the hole closed right before my eyes. I didn't have time to think about it, though, as a barely blocked vine knocked me deeper into the tree line.

"Ok, asshole, my turn," I growled, the burning weapon trailing behind me as I charged, dodging left and right to avoid the plant-cage's whipping vines. When I grew tired of avoidance, I let the beast feel my displeasure with a simple, yet vicious response: I spun Thorn in a tight circle at my side, the fiery blade cutting clean through the left vine-arm a few feet from the main body.

If I thought it screamed before, it roared from its' latest injury. The plant cage turned on me again, the right vine rising to strike me down like the threat it undoubtedly saw me as, though it was never to happen. Just as the limb reached the peak of its' ark, it was shorn from the main body by a massive, honed broadsword. Unlike the previous wound, this one wasn't automatically cauterized; instead, it gushed out the plant-cages' precious green life-blood. With a wavering, pitiful wail, the beast died, the leaves holding Vivi imprisoned falling down around its' 'face'.

After we helped the little black mage down, we silently agreed it would be best to catch our breaths before venturing into the forest; a pack of Fangs had been drawn by my scream earlier. A creature letting loose a dying scream could attract something far nastier if we weren't lucky. As I looked at little Vivi, I noticed his hat and coat were ripped in a few more places; at the rate his clothes were going, they'd be more patch than actual outfit. I knelt in front of him as I smiled, retracting Thorn into its' collapsed state. He started tugging on his hat again, and I gently pulled the brim from his hands, earning a confused look.

"If you keep doing that, you'll have to get a new hat soon," I said, cursing my sandpaper voice as he flinched. I had no one to blame but myself, however; two years of near constant silence could turn even the most melodious voice into gravel.

"S-sorry, sir," he muttered, and I had to fight the urge to wrap the kid in a tight hug and protect him from all the horrors of the world. _'Ifrit's blood, if he can worm his way into my heart in a few hours as a child, he'll be able to wrap anyone around his finger when he's an adult!'_

"Nothing to be sorry for, Vivi; and my name is Nicoli, but my friends call me Nico. I would be honored if you used it," I rasped, giving him a smile.

He nodded shyly, and gasped when he looked over my shoulder. Turning, I saw exactly what had startled him: The plant-cage was rising from the grave. Before we could move, it shot a stream of foul smelling mist straight into our faces, though it seemed that I caught more than Vivi did. I gagged as I collapsed, darkness encroaching on my mind for a second time that evening. I didn't even feel it when I hit the ground face first.

'_I think I was a little too close to the corpse,'_ was the last thought that went through my mind.

_**IX IX IX IX IX IX IX IX IX**_

Once again, someone was shaking me awake, though the hands felt smaller then last time. Opening my crystal eye, I saw a small, blurry figure before I realized that from the bottom of my eyes up was encased in a wavy block of ice. Slowly, the ice melted, clearing my view and allowing my other eye to open. The first thing I did was clutch my head with my hand, groaning at a strange pain that seemed to be tearing through every fiber of my body. Those same small hands pressed a glass vial into my free palm, and I brought it to my lips without a second thought, figuring if it was poison, at least it would end this agony.

However, as the slime oozed down my throat, I began to wonder if the pain was really so bad.

The taste was horrendous. The only way it could possibly be described, was a mixture of well-used leggings that had been worn for three months, mixed with chocolate, chili powder, sugar and concentrated lemon juice for flavor, turned into a liquid, and fermented in the stomach of a rotten pig. I was gagging as the disgusting mixture slid down my unwilling throat, trying to get it to stop its' descent. Every effort, in spite of its' purpose, made the liquid go down faster, finally reaching my stomach. The second that happened, I felt a rumble deep within my guts, almost as if they were rebelling against the intrusion.

Before I could protest, three sets of hands grabbed me and pushed me face first over a large bucket held by a pair of leather gloved hands. Seconds later, I understood why as everything in my stomach erupted from my mouth, pouring straight into the basin. Every heave emptied more than I could have imagined was in my body, almost as if it were trying to expel every organ from me.

After what seemed like hours, but was actually a few minutes, the rebellion was over, and a canteen of water was pressed to my lips. My first response was to guzzle it in the hopes of getting the horrid taste out of my mouth, but I swilled it around instead, spitting fouled water into the bucket. When I was finished cleansing my palette, I looked into the basin because of a sense of morbid curiosity. A venomous yellow liquid filled most of it, though you could see the water I'd spat floating around on the top. As I watched, the liquid shuddered, sloshing around in its' wooden prison, even though the bucket itself was stationary.

"Some of the monsters here breed by planting seeds in their opponents, so that the line will continue, even if they die. After a while, the seeds grow and devour the host form the inside out. That potion you drank was designed to expel the seeds in the quickest way possible so you wouldn't wind up as plant food," a voice almost identical to the one I had back on Earth said. When I looked for the source, I found the scarred thief leaning against the wall while I was lowered back into the bed by Zidane and, of all people, Steiner. The two looked like they would rather be fighting, but seemed to understand the stupidity of that when someone in the same room was ill.

"You got lucky, Nico; by the looks of things, you got around half the seeds. Vivi got the other half, but he was taken care of because he woke up almost as soon as we put him in the bed," Zidane added, sitting down next to me. Even though he looked almost sick to do so, Steiner nodded in agreement with the thief. I gave a smile, rolling my right arm in it's' socket while the masked Zenero carried the bucket from the room, moving carefully to avoid spilling the dangerous contents across the floor.

It was in that movement that I noticed how light my body felt compared to usual. A quick scan revealed that I was dressed in a thin nightshirt and the silver pendant chained around my neck. I growled, looking around the room to discover that the only articles of my clothing there were my long coat, my weapons' belt, and my metallic boots, all in a neat pile in the corner.

"Where are my clothes," I rasped, more of the blue mist pouring from my eye due to my rage. Zidane gulped, immediately drawing my cold glare to him. He shuddered, pointing to the thief leaning against the wall. As my gaze turned to him, he pointed to Steiner, who immediately pointed at the monkey tailed thief sitting in the chair. Another growl escaped as I stood up, my talons flexing. I glared at all three of them in turn, causing each one to shudder.

"Where. Are. My. Clothes," I snarled, the temperature in the room dropping several degrees. Before even one of them could answer, two small hands tugged on my arm. Looking down, I noticed Vivi staring up at me, his yellow eyes never wavering. I calmed myself down so I wouldn't terrify him, kneeling so we were on the same level.

"Um… Mr. Blank said that the fabric was infested with the seeds, and that the only way to make them safe for anyone would be to burn them," he said, worrying the brim of his hat. Immediately, I glared at Blank, standing to my full height and towering over him. "Blank… Those clothes were enchanted to repel any foreign agent, be it soil, blood, water, food or any other form of mess. They were a gift to me from Lady Hilda herself… And you burned them?" I asked my voice deceptively quiet and calm. The thief broke out into a cold sweat; obviously, Zidane had told a few stories about my temper…

"In my defense, I had no idea that they were special, I swear. Zidane only told me that you had multiple copies of them in a bunch of different colors, so I assumed that they wouldn't be missed," he said, raising his hands in front of him as if to guard against some attack.

As Blank passed the buck, Zidane froze halfway out the door. "Hold it right there, Tribal. Since you're the one who inadvertently caused this, you get to fix it; go find my bag. It's black leather and held shut by a gold clasp. Talk to Cina and see if he can find it if you can't." With a nod, the thief ran off.

An hour later, Zidane came back with my bag, holding it as if it were made of fine crystal. I took the pack from him and growled out a request to be left alone so I could change. Immediately, the two thieves and the knight ran off, though Vivi just sat on one of the beds. I found myself thankful for that, even as I pulled off the borrowed nightshirt and dug through my bag.

Since I had believed it would be a short trip from Alexandria to Lindblum, I only had two spare sets of clothes. I couldn't wear the outfit for my persona as Duke Bloodwing, the pearl grey silks embroidered with black and red filigree too fragile for the long trip on foot. That left the plain black pants and the dark blue, sleeveless tunic I wore when I traveled with Lulu, Gabranth and Zell.

Once I finished changing into the travel worn cotton and leather, I clasped my weapons' belt around my waist and shrugged on my coat, clasping the buckles under the bases of my wings. Once locked in place, I stretched my wings to make sure they weren't restricted; the injured one was still stiff, but that was to be expected. I glanced at Vivi, giving him a smile as his lantern-like eyes stared back. I motioned towards the door, noticing a good sized cane leaning against the door frame. I couldn't help but roll my eyes; it was made of oak, sanded and polished to remove any splinters. Tied to the 'neck' of the wolf shaped head were strips of fabric in varying shades of grey and red: The colors of the Grim Jester.

While I leaned on the gift, I followed the little black mage out, giving Zidane a smirk when he noticed the cane. He smiled back and nodded, confirming my suspicions about the unassuming wood. I looked around at our motley crew and decided it was amazingly well balanced: A black mage, a knight, a thief, and a jack-of-all-trades. At least, it would have been well balanced, if the knight didn't hate two of the members.

"Master Vivi, if I could have a word with you? I wish to ask something," Steiner said, glancing around furtively.

"Weapon-magic combinations are very possible, Captain," I rasped, thinking on some of the more painful lessons given to me by my three 'loving' teachers. The knight blinked, surprise coloring his visage before suspicion winning his thoughts again.

"How would you-"

"Traveled with a black mage and a knight for a while. One lesson delved into combining magic and fighting without enchanting a weapon. Mage said the weapon could only have the base prayers and enchantments used by blacksmiths for novices to make it work," I explained, deciding that it would be a good idea to keep names out of it.

"Lesson? Yeah, they gave you plenty of lessons if you want to call beating it into your skull teaching," Zidane retorted, earning a questioning glance from Steiner and a glare from me. Vivi just stared, his head tilted to the side.

"Um… A magic sword might be possible… I can try, right?" he asked timidly.

I sighed, giving him an understanding look. "Most black mages can put a spell on a weapon for long enough to cause damage or adverse effects. How many 'strikes' depends on the power of the caster," was my response as I tied my pack to the back of my belt. Hopefully, we would make it to a town or find lost equipment in the forest by the time the contents ran out; besides, there was only so long someone could survive on Mu jerky and water.

When our little group reached the 'entrance' of the ship, which was little more then a widened breach in the hull, we found Blank leaning against the wall. He tossed a vial of dark grey liquid to Zidane, watching as the blonde managed to catch it.

"Thanks for the offer, Blank, but I don't need a love potion to help with the ladies," he said confidently.

"He's right; he can get them to run away screaming all by himself," I added, grinning even more when the monkey tailed thief turned an icy glare on me. Blank snorted, running a hand through his hair.

"While I do agree with Dmitriev, that's not a love potion. It's the medicine I gave to the black mage and the man who has apparently decided to deflate your ego," he said, tossing a scroll Zidane's way. He caught the parchment just as easily as the vial, glancing through the contents with practiced speed. When he looked back up, he was wearing a sheepish expression.

"Hey, Blank, do you remember how to equip abilities?" he asked.

At the exact same time, the sound of metal hitting metal, metal hitting flesh, and leather hitting flesh sounded through the wooden room: Blank, Steiner and I had all slapped our hands to our foreheads in perfect harmony. We looked at each other and sighed.

"Ramu's beard, Zidane, does anything ever stick in your brain?" the scarred thief asked. Said blonde winced, rubbing the back of his head with one hand.

"Well, I can remember the name of every girl I've ever dated," he replied.

"Correction: Does anything _important_ ever stick in your brain. I'm guessing the answer to that is a resounding 'No'," Blank snapped. Zidane winced again, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he shot me a sullen glare.

"Not a chance, Tribal. You got yourself into this mess, you get yourself out," I rasped. Steiner nodded in agreement. The thief sighed in resignation as he turned back to his 'brother' thief. After a thirty minute refresher course on how to equip ability stones, learning abilities and obtaining more of the special crystals, Blank finally allowed us to leave. All four of our heads were reeling slightly from the onslaught of information. Just because two of us already knew about the unique features of certain pieces of equipment, didn't mean we escaped the scarred thief's assault

Once were outside, however, Zidane tried to pass his belt grid off to me and Steiner. Both of us refused, and promised that we would skin him alive if he tried to make Vivi take over for him. He decided it would be in his best interests to keep his grid with him.

We made our way through the forest slowly, taking down the occasional goblin or Fang that tried to stop us. Once we were back where the plant-cage had fallen, the corpse suspiciously absent, though no one wanted to know why trails of sap-blood and drag marks lead off into the trees, Vivi pointed out the tunnel he and the princess had come running out of. From the details he gave us, it was safe to say that there was only one plant-cage, though it had probably passed the princess off to something else so it could come back for its' second course.

In silent agreement, we entered the lair of the beast.

_**IX IX IX IX IX IX IX IX IX**_

I guessed it to be halfway through the path when we reached the spring. Though Steiner was complaining that we taking a break when the princess was in danger, the little black mage managed to convince him that we all needed to rest to fight well. After a short break and a sip of the crystal clear water on my part, I made one of my infamously stupid decisions, and decided it would be in our best interest if I scouted ahead. Zidane was the first to figure out my plan.

Needless to say, he was not amused.

"Nicoli, where are you going?" he asked, his voice dangerously calm. That was all the warning sign I needed that he knew _exactly_ where I was going, why I was doing it, and that he didn't like the idea of one of us going out alone.

"Scouting," I replied shortly, putting a pair of soft leather coverings from my bag. As I slipped them on, he sighed in frustration.

"Will you at least take Rusty or Vivi with you?"

"No, because I can look after myself just fine, Zidane."

"Then take me, bird brain."

"No, Tribal. I hunt better alone, and you know it."

"Nico-"

"No."

"But-"

"One hour," I rasped, and darted ahead down the path.

"You've got fifteen minutes!" Zidane called, knowing full well I could still hear him.

I shook my head, but agreed with the time limit he imposed. I'd had tighter time frames, and it gave me enough time to at least clear out the tunnel a bit. My near silent footsteps sounded quietly in my wake as I pressed on, taking special care to arrange a few 'accidents' for several overgrown weeds, four fangs and a goblin. Though, in retrospect, I suppose it was a little sadistic to use a loop of razor wire to slice said goblin in half vertically.

Ah, well, hind sight is twenty-twenty.

Outside the entrance to the main cavern, however, I found another skeleton like the one I received Thorn from. This time, it was a pair of matte black leather gauntlets with loops of bladed chains wrapped around the arms. I slipped them into the same belt pouch I stashed the ruins of my old weapons; someone could use them, or they'd make a good bit of cash later.

As I looked around the very large cave, I started cursing silently, especially when I saw the gigantic beast in the center. Across the way, I could see the princess, though there was little I could do about that; with the plant-brain in the way, there was no way to get to her. While I contemplated what to do, a breaking twig made me turn to see Zidane crouching at my side.

"Still hate goblins, I take it?" he asked, staring at Big-and-Ugly, as I affectionately thought of the monster. The way the thief talked, he could have been asking about the weather, rather than if I still held genocidal tendencies when it came to the disgusting green humanoids.

"Hate, no. Intend on erasing the stain of their existence from Gaia? Very much so," I growled, still examining the plant-brain. I took special note of the small head, oversized 'torso', if it could be called that, and the rather thin looking base. The logical side of my brain said it would be best to strike the two weakest seeming areas; the primal side just wanted me to go for the throat and rip the beast apart bare-handed.

"I still don't get why you hate the things."

"You would hate 'em, too, if you woke up one morning in the midst of one of their camps in the whore pen." I shuddered at the memory of the pen, surrounded by guards and dressed in a loin cloth. That had been the first time my primal nature awoke, and sometimes, I was still able to feel the sensation of blood drying on fur, or the coppery taste as a throat was ripped out by fangs.

"A lot of people would pay a fortune to find out how you demolished the camp on your own. A lot more would pay twice as much to find out what kind of beast did the damage," Zidane said, looking at me from the corner of his eye.

I growled back at him, glaring icily. "We are not having this conversation, chimp. In case you haven't noticed, we have work to do." I turned back to my scrutiny, seeing no other weakness that could be exploited. After a few more minutes, I sighed. "When we get to Lindblum, come to the manor. I'll give you the information you seek," I added, right before Steiner managed to show up, cutting off Zidane's response with a bellowed, "Princess!"

Before either of us could stop him, he charged forward, sword held high. I went from my kneeling position into a sprint, Thorn snapping out to its' full length and the blade flickering with green flames. Zidane and Vivi followed us, daggers drawn and staff pulsating.

"Master Vivi, now!" Steiner shouted, blade sweeping back. The little black mage began a chant, focusing on the sword. Moments later, the blade turned a deep, cherry red that ended an inch above the cross guard. The knight's strike was true, slashing into the leaf-like hide and leaving embers and blue flames in the sword's wake.

The monster screamed, lashing at the momentarily vulnerable knight with one of its' four tentacles, only to have it intercepted by my scythe. That, however, proved to be a bad idea on my part; instead of one of us getting hit, we hit each other. Then, we hit the wall.

A little advice: Don't land on plate mail. It doesn't make a good cushion.

Steiner shoved me away, managing to get me off of him and back into the fight… Right into the path of a tentacle Zidane had just dodged on his way to the beast's head. For the fourth time that day, I hit a wall, and for the third time, I was stunned from impact. Somehow, I'd managed to keep a hold of Thorn, and I used that to get back up. Steiner had struck with another fire-powered slash, earning another scream, though he managed to duck under the flailing tendrils. Vivi threw one last fire spell at it before shuffling off into the background, bringing a little blue potion I recognized as an ether to his shadowed face. After he caught his breath and waited a few moments for it to take effect, he went right back to work, fire spell after fire spell slamming into his target.

Just as it looked like we were winning, the plant-brain opened it's 'maw' and released a virtual dust storm of pollen into the air. Within seconds of the attack, all four of us were blinded. I was furiously rubbing at my eyes, cursing the fact that the crystal couldn't see through more then two layers; I was effectively blinded by my own eyelid and my metallic fist.

"Guess it's a good thing I got here when I did, huh?" a familiar voice asked, right before a blast of liquid hit my darkened eyes. Just as quickly as when the blindness set in, I could see with perfect clarity. Blank was standing in front of me, an eye drops bottle with a spray cap in his hand. By the looks of things, he had hit Vivi first so he could provide cover fire, followed by Steiner and Zidane. I was the farthest from the battle, so I was the last he hit.

I grunted as I grasped my burning scythe, twirling it in quick circles in front of me. It snapped to my side, the pommel at my shoulder while the haft ran down my back to the burning blade near the floor. "Thanks, Blank," I rasped before dashing forward, the emerald flames trailing in my wake.

As I approached, I shifted the weapon so it was at my side with my left hand a few inches above the emerald. The second I was close enough, I let loose, the blade moving with enough speed that it sang through the air, an arc of fire in its' wake. The flames scorched a tentacle, sending it ablaze while the wicked edge slashed into the beast's core. The creature wailed in agony, its tendrils occupied with the others. Each time one tried to strike at me, Zidane, Vivi, Blank or Steiner would strike with spell or blade, distracting it while I kept working. Each swing of my scythe opened the gash bigger and deeper, carving into and through the hide.

A quarter of the way through, I leapt back, blocking a tentacle that Steiner had been working on. He looked at me and I nodded at the base the wound gaping open like a macabre smile.

"I can't get any deeper; blade's at the wrong angle for it," I growled. He nodded and ducked under the beast. Seconds later, the beast started screaming again, signaling that Steiner had begun his assault. When the tendril I'd taken over started to move away, I struck, Thorn's flames and namesake dragging the attention back to me. When it tried to attack me, Zidane made his move, his daggers slashing again and again at the plant-brain. Vivi attacked soon after with a burst of flame aimed at the head, followed soon after by Blank's sword making a gash a foot long in its' hide.

The pattern followed that same cycle, the four of us buying Steiner time to cut through. Soon, our foe was screaming in desperation instead of anger. When the knight came running out from under the plant-brain, he wore a smug expression. A few minutes later, it collapsed onto its' side and we could all see how much work the good captain had done: Where I had opened the flesh a quarter of the way, he had opened it another two.

When the death throes had finished, Steiner lurched towards the prone form of our objective. After Blank reminded Zidane that he had the medicine, the thief quickly pressing the vial to the girl's lips and helped get it down her throat while Steiner held her. Looking at the way the knight acted, I could see that he thought of her as more then just a charge; he saw her as his own flesh and blood, and he would fight 'til his dying breath to protect her.

Garnet coughed and slowly sat up, her hand going to her head before she turned to the side, her body expelling the seeds the same way I had, though there was a lot more of the sickly yellow muck. It poured down the channels in the floor and out of sight, the last traces seeming to be drawn in through the cracks.

"Ok, I think it would be a good idea to get out of here," Blank said. No sooner had his words left him than the floor under the plant-brain's corpse caved into a ramp that lead into another dark cavern. Four monsters that looked like a cross between a rose and a spider came out, arms and jaws clashing and clicking. Before they could attack us, I swung my burning scythe in a wide arc, the flames splashing across the plant-spiders and driving them away, each one trying to save itself.

"I think that would be the best course of action," I rasped, holding Thorn at the ready. Steiner picked up the still woozy Garnet and ducked through an opening, followed by Zidane, Vivi and Blank. I went out last, leaving flaming carcasses in my wake, often still moving as we made our escape.

Halfway out, Zidane and I stopped, looking around at the trees. Blank jogged back to where we stood, looking at us like we were insane. "Guys, what are you doing?"

"The forest…" the thief said, his eyes slightly glazed over.

"It's chasing us," I finished. I was staring at the trees, but I was looking at nothing at the same time. We looked at each other and nodded, agreeing that we felt the exact same thing… Some kind of inexplicable sense that the world around filled with a murderous rage. In unison, we turned our gaze to Blank.

"Make sure the princess gets to Lindblum safely, Blank," Zidane said. Before the scarred thief could reply, the plant-spiders showed up. We started running again, this time with two of us planning on staying to buy the others time.

Just as our improvised plan was about to be put into action, Blank pushed us out of the way. The monster behind us caught him, holding him close even as it started turning to stone.

"Go! Hades take you, GO!" he roared, throwing a parchment scroll. Both of us took off at once, the thief snatching the scroll as it bounced off the ground. Even though the plant-spiders were no longer a threat, that fact meant nothing: The forest itself was chasing after us with the intent to kill before it went into hibernation. We bolted for the entrance, thorn covered vines as thick as a dragon's neck slamming into the ground scant inches away from us. Just as we dove through the vine choked passage, it sealed itself, the vines locking together and turning to grey stone.

Before a word could be said, Zidane was back at the petrified entrance, pounding his fist against the rock hard vines. I watched for a few minutes before I put a hand on his shoulder. When he looked at me with wild eyes, I just shook my head. His reply was to jerk his shoulder from my grasp and go back to his work. I sighed and walked down the short path until I met with the others. Somehow, Steiner had managed to procure a tent, which he set up for the princess and guarded. I looked at the little black mage by the fire and whistled. He looked up, eyes confused.

"Go get some sleep, Vivi. I'll keep watch," I rasped. He nodded and walked towards the tent. Without a word, the knight stepped aside and let the child through. When the knight looked at me, I shrugged and motioned at the tent. "You too, Captain."

"How do I know you or that scoundrel won't try something?" he asked, hand fingering the sword hilt at his shoulder.

"Because I'm too tired to? Because I would rather the strongest member of our enforced company to be well rested? Because Zidane just watched someone that was a brother in all but blood sacrifice himself to a possible eternity as a statue, and will likely be pounding at those vines all night? Or could it be a mixture of all those answers?" I replied, leaning Thorn against the large boulder. He continued to stare at me, his hand never straying too far from the hilt. I sighed, shaking my head. "If it helps, I'll take first watch, and I'll wake you up for the second after I bring Zidane back to camp."

He thought it over for a few minutes before finally nodding. "Three hours, murderer," he said. "Three hours, and you will wake me for the watch." With those final words, he entered the tent, closing the entrance behind him.

'_So, he figured out that I have the blood of civilians on my hands,'_ I thought, pulling myself up onto the top of the boulder. An hour later, Zidane stumbled into the little camp, eyes red and puffy while his gloves were frayed at the knuckles. He nodded to me and sat next to the fire. The blonde's gaze were lost in the flickering flames, the shifting light making his features appear even more haggard and gaunt. "Get some rest, Zidane," was all I said as I passed him a bottle of water and sleepweed. I'd used the same mixture before, and he knew what it was immediately from the soft, soothing scent of mint and vanilla wafting from the opening. Without pausing, he took a long draft from the flask, capping it and passing it back. Within a few minutes he was on his back and asleep, the spare blankets and padding from my pack keeping him warm.

As I stared into the night, I knew that the only reason Zidane had taken the flask was because he knew I was an insomniac. I wouldn't be waking anyone up to take over the watch. Instead, I pulled out the oaken flute I kept in my belt and began to play, the soft tones of the carved wood floating around the camp.

_**IX IX IX IX IX IX IX IX IX**_

_**Well, that's the second chapter. I honestly don't know if **_**all **_**the remaining chapters will be this long, shorter, or longer, but I can tell you that we're only just beginning.**_

_**I promise that some of your questions will likely be answered in the next few chapters, but I still have to keep some secrets, so don't expect every question to be answered just yet.**_

_**Remember, reviews might actually make me work faster. Ya never know…**_

_**-GC**_


	4. Ch III: Scream of Winter

_Once again, I bid welcome to those of you who are putting up with my tale. I know, the update is slow in coming yet again, but 'tis something that can be expected, really. I don't have much time to update often, and so I must make do with what I have. I discovered a few errors in previous chapters, so there have been some slight alterations regarding the timeline. I'll post it up on the facebook page I made for Nicoli, which will be found on my profile page._

_Anyway, when we last left our companions, I left some questions unanswered. One or two might be answered in this chapter, or I might just be an ass and add more. You'll also be meeting a new character, though it's quite grisly when you do. The flashback is very violent, and one of the reasons this is rated M. It's also why it took so long to create this chapter._

_You'll just have to read to find out, now won't you?_

_Oh, and since apparently hates my old line breaks, expect the chapters to all be altered sooner or later._

_-GC_

_**Ch. III: Scream of Winter**_

_**IX IX IX IX IX IX IX IX IX**_

Silence.

That was all Captain Aldebert Steiner heard as he awoke from his surprisingly deep sleep. It was peaceful enough that he almost forgot the excitement of the previous evening; one look at the princess and the little black mage, however, reminded him of everything. With a near silent growl, he was on his feet and outside the tent, sword in hand as he searched their tiny encampment. There were two bedrolls by the smoldering embers that had been their fire. One of them was occupied by a bleary-eyed blonde; the other was neatly rolled up. It had been sitting in the exact same spot since the night before. Before he could contemplate on its' meaning, the sound of something being dragged came from behind the boulder.

He snarled again, raising his sword as the noise came closer. Just as he was about to strike, a silver clad hand came from behind the rock. Clutched in its' claws was a white handkerchief. A black and blonde head and the rest of the arm joined the hand, the eyebrows raised as he took in the poised blade.

"Stay your sword, Captain, it's just me. I went out hunting for breakfast; I honestly didn't think it'd take me that long to find something editable."

_**IX IX IX IX IX IX IX IX IX**_

I could feel his eyes on me as I prodded the coals under the leather bag. He'd provided the leather stewpot, but now he was just standing guard over the tent and staring.

"Zidane?"

"Yeah, Nico?"

"Is he still glaring at me?"

"Well, if looks could kill, I don't think there'd be much left to bury," he said. The smartass had proven said intelligence by sitting across from me; if he pissed off the knight trying to burn holes through my head, he'd at least have a good head start. However, he wasn't as safe from me, a point I enjoyed proving with a swipe at his head. He dodged, but I'd gotten my point across.

"Jeez, Nicoli, what's got you in a foul mood?" he demanded.

"Oh, I don't know, maybe the fact that I have an easily three hundred pound knight with a very large sword, and both want my blood on the ground!" I hissed back. I was just about to continue when something made me freeze; a mail shod hand had landed on my shoulder, with a painfully good grip on a pressure point. All he'd have to do is squeeze, and I'd be on the ground.

"To be precise, murderer, I weigh three hundred and twenty three pounds in full armor," Steiner said. His tone was almost conversational enough to disguise the hate and disgust underneath. Almost, however, wasn't enough; the hand on my shoulder still hadn't lessened its grip, either.

"I didn't hear you approach, Captain. Please, have a seat," I rasped. Outside, I was perfectly calm; inside, however, I was cursing my inattention. How many times had Noah done just such a thing during our little trip? How many times had Zell dumped a bucket of cold water on me when we camped near rivers? Hell, how many times had **Lulu** filled my sleeping bag with snow? The three of them combined would have been laughing and whacking me up the back of my head for what I'd just done!

Before the knight could make a reply, however, we were joined by the last two members of our team. Vivi looked like he'd experienced long nights on the hard ground before, so he would probably be very useful during the inevitable battles. The princess, however, looked terrible; not only had she spent what little rest she got healing from the seeds that'd been ejected from her body earlier, it was doubtless she'd tossed and turned the entire night with little more than the sleeping pad we'd laid out for her. As the five of us sat down to eat the improvised meal, I started thinking about how to give her at least some comfort during this little trip, no matter how minimal it was.

'_I guess I'll be giving her mine; it's not like I use it much, anyway,' _I thought to myself, even as I tied the bundle to the bottom of my specialized travel pack, and the pack to my belt; my wings prevented a conventional pack like the others carried. It was good planning on our parts that the four of us had grabbed an extra bag along with the other three. Unfortunately, Garnet wouldn't be able to carry much weight for a while At most, she would carry the broken down tent and some of the food.

Just as we were about to leave, however, Steiner decided it was a brilliant time to ask questions.

"Murderer, I thought it was agreed that you would take first watch and wake me halfway through the night," he growled.

"Really? I guess I forgot. Besides, I doubt either of us would have been good people to be around on three hours of sleep," I rasped. I started walking again, only for the plate-mail covered hand to grip my shoulder.

"You're leaving something out, criminal. Why didn't you wake me for my watch? You didn't… Do anything to the princess, did you?" His voice darkened with the implications, and his grip tightened when I froze up.

'_Did he just suggest...?'_ I thought, even as my hands tightened around the oak cane that had found it's way into my hands. Obviously, the older man thought this was a sign of guilt.

"I swear to Alexander Himself, I will see you hang for even daring to touch-" he started to thunder, only to stop as the soft click heralded the releasing of the hidden weapon. The bottom half of the cane snapped around and dislodged his hand from my shoulder, even as the icy blade touched his throat. I don't think the blade bothered him as much as my gaze did; he didn't move an inch as our eyes met.

"Captain Steiner, I have tried my utmost to remain friendly and neutral in this little group of ours. However, I swear on Hades' Black Throne that if you so much as _mention_ the possibility that I forced myself upon someone again, I will gut you and leave your still living body to a pack of Fangs. Do I make myself clear?" I hissed. The dagger at his throat only moved away once he nodded, and just as quickly as it appeared, it was gone again into the innocent seeming wood of my cane. "For future reference, Captain, I didn't wake you up because I don't sleep unless aided by drugs. I will be going on ahead to find out of there's a settlement near by. Have a good day." And with those last words, I was up in the air, working my wings free of their stiffness.

If memory served correctly, the Ice Caverns would be to the North-East.

_**XI XI XI XI XI XI XI XI XI**_

Zidane watched as his friend vanished into the mist and sighed. Leave it to Sir Rustalot to irritate the meanest member of their party into leaving on his own. _'Well, at least he can care for himself. I would have preferred it if he'd stayed to help guard the princess and the kid, though,' _he thought. The knight was going on about how he would have 'taught the murdering buzzard his place, if he hadn't caught him by surprise!' That gave Zidane ample chance to check over their map as he carefully unrolled it, along with the compass he found in his pack. With the tools was a simple note:

'_Zidane,_

_Figured you'd need these more than I do, since I'll probably be up in the air. Just remember, the big blue 'N' means North, the red 'S' means South, the green 'E' means East, and the white 'W' means West. Now, I know that's a little much for your brain to take in, so ask Vivi or the Princess to help you out._

_-Nicoli'_

The blonde thief growled, crushing the parchment in his hands as he glared at it. "Gods damned carrion feeder! I'll show you simple minded, you oversized vulture; just wait until I get my hands on you. I'll pluck every Odin cursed feather from your body," he snarled as he threw the crumpled up note into the remains of their fire. A small sense of satisfaction filled him as he watched it burn.

Taking another look at the map revealed that the little village of Dali as a little past a cave, and also the nearest reachable civilization. He nodded; knowing Nicoli, he was probably headed for the caves at that very moment.

"Ok, Rusty, we have our bearing. Let's go," Zidane said, rapping his hand against the knight's steel covered back hard enough to set it ringing. As he checked his compass, he shook his head with a wry grin.

The cave just so happened to be to the North-East.

_**XI XI XI XI XI XI XI XI XI**_

I heard the dark, growling chuckle as I reached the entrance, and that prompted me to land immediately. The beast shouldn't have been able to get loose, but I doubt It cared about chains forged in my mind.

'**Honestly, Nicoli, why do you care for those pathetic, **_**disgusting**_** sheep? We both know they only slow us down,'** It hissed, even as a shiver went down my spine. It wasn't the implications that caused the chill, nor was it the sinister nature of the voice; it was the fact that It sounded like me, the only difference being that Its' words sounded like they'd been mangled by something with fangs.

'_I don't care what you have to say, beast. I refuse to abandon them, so just go back to your cage and rot like you have for the past six years,'_ I snarled back. Even as I started reforming the chant needed to seal the monster away again, It slammed into my mind heard enough to send me to my knees. I knelt their gasping, even as It roared its' fury until I felt blood seeping from my ears and eye. That was when I realized that I'd been weakened by the seeds far more than I was willing to admit.

'**Foolish mortal!" **It thundered, even as I felt the pain begin. **'Have you forgotten that it was **_**you**_** who called me here to begin with? **_**You**_** who bound us together?'** I could tell It was hunting for something, though I couldn't tell what; the pain was turning into agony every time it cut deeper. **'Allow me to remind you, boy, why the Knight spoke true when he called you murderer.'**

With those final words, It sent me spiraling down into the darkness and the memories I tried to forget.

_**-Flashback—**_

Shal Toran burned as a wolf howled. What had once been a trading town was in ruins as two hundred people lay dead in their homes and in the streets. A single form was in the center of the town, tearing chunks of meat from a corpse as it listened to the symphony of horror. It chuckled as it raised a fine crystal goblet and drank the blood in it like a lord at court drank his wine, before returning to its' ravenous feeding. As it finished with the latest part of its' dinner, it searched the town for a new source to fill its' cup, landing on an old man clutching at his side. If memory served it correctly, this had been the mayor of the once cheerful town.

It laughed as it filled the fine crystal with the last of the man's blood before it snapped his neck. The great beast sat on its' haunches as it sipped the grisly drink, treating it as a fine wine. From the sobs, it guessed there to be around sixty people hiding in the ruins. It set its' half full goblet down with a sigh, using it as ink to write a simple note that it left next to the cup:

'_72mC. A little dry, but still a good taste. My compliments to the brewer.'_

It chuckled as it set the note down next to the former mayor. It looked around one last time before the mist started flowing into the ruins. With an echoing howl, it released the power and mist in an explosion. It laughed as it ran from the scene, taking a quick bath in a nearby river to clean the blood from its' fur and claws; it wouldn't do for the child to get his surprise too early.

When Nicoli woke the next morning, it was to a strange coppery taste in his mouth. He sighed; that was the third time this week he'd awoke the same way, and he was getting tired of gargling with Gabranth's mixtures he kept concocting. This week, it was called 'Spitfire', and it left an ashy taste in the mouth for an hour later. It was better than the alternative, though.

"Ok, boys, I think it's time you woke up," Lulu cooed. When she didn't get a response, she glanced at her young charge. The seventeen year old was covering his mouth with a gloved hand, amusement dancing in his emerald eye. "Well, seeing as I asked nicely, I think it's a good idea to set the alarm, don't you?" she asked. Her reply was a stifled laugh as she began chanting. Within seconds, both Gabranth and Zell were awake and sputtering as the Water spell dissipated around their heads.

"You'd think you two would learn, Noah," Nicoli rasped quietly, still snickering as the damp warrior glared between his charge and his fellow guardian. However, he knew it wouldn't work on either of them; it'd been used too much.

When they'd finally gotten the two fighters dry, they set out. Today, they'd reach the trading city of Shal Toran. When they got there, everything seemed fine, if quiet. It was as the sun came over the ridge that they saw the nightmare that had been left there, frozen in a thin layer of bluish ice. Nicoli fell to his knees as he heard a dark, growling chuckle in his mind.

'**Happy birthday, Nicoli. I hope you enjoy your present.'**

_**-End Flashback-**_

I could still hear the voice laugh as I slowly awoke to find the four I'd left behind standing over me with varying looks of concern. I'd never seen the vision in its' entirety before; figures the monster in my own head would show it to me one day.

"Nico—"

"I'm fine, Zidane. Just a headache."

"But—"

"I said I'm fine, Zidane. Leave it."

"I really think-"

"I don't care, Tribal. It was just a damned headache, so drop it!"

"A damn headache doesn't leave you unconscious on the ground with blood coming from your ears, Dimitriev!"

I turned back to face him. "Zidane, do you remember what I told you in the tunnel? Before we took down the plant-brain?" I asked, my voice carrying a deep chill with it. He nodded as I tapped my oak cane against the frozen ground. It was cold enough to produce a nice thump. "This is part of it. I will tell you everything there is to know about what has happened. I made a promise, and it is one I intend to keep. For now, we have to keep moving." I sighed as I took a cloth and my wineskin from my belt, wetting the fabric and using it to clean the blood from my face and ears. Once that was done, I slipped the cloth into my belt along side the wineskin.

"Um… I think these are the Ice Caverns," a little voice behind me said. I glanced back to see Vivi reaching up to worry his hat again.

"You're right, Vivi," I rasped, looking around at the icy scenery. "They're also known as the Halls of the Frozen Kings. According to the history books, there was a great battle between Alexandria and Lindblum, three hundred years before the two became allies."

"I remember that story. King Tyranos of Alexandria wanted to rule the continent, and his first target was Lindblum. Regent Cidoulfus II was on the verge of defeat when he led his armies on a retreat through the Evil Forest and to these caves," Garnet said. "The battle lasted for weeks before the two monarchs would finally listen to reason and sit down to discuss a truce."

"And thus, the tradition of sending the heir apparent of Lindblum to Alexandria to study for six years and vice versa was born. The original design of this was to make sure one side wouldn't do anything to the other's heir. However, it has since been seen as more of a formality, considering how close the two kingdoms are now," Steiner finished. I blinked in surprise; the captain was the second to last person I expected to know ancient history like that.

"Um… My grandfather told me that it was because of the truce that the border towns of Treno and Deiling flourished and became the Cities of Endless Night," Vivi added.

"Most impressive, Master Vivi! Your grandfather must be quite the scholar; I must thank him myself. Where does he live?"

"Well, Captain, we're actually in agreement over something. I have a desire to meet the man, myself," I added, smiling at the little boy between us. However, when he looked down, I realized we should have kept our big mouths shut.

"… He died…" he murmured.

"My apologies, Master Vivi. I have no idea," Steiner said.

"Mine as well. You have both of our condolences."

"It's ok. You didn't know," Vivi said as he worried the brim of his hat.

The knight and I traded a look before we nodded; we both agreed that we would add the youngest member of our impromptu group as a priority to be protected, just like the princess. As I took point and lead us on our way through the frozen tunnels, I could hear Garnet and Vivi 'Oohing' and 'Ahing' over the delicate ice sculptures that had formed naturally over the ages this place had existed.

We'd been walking for what seemed like hours when Zidane noticed something strange about one of the frozen walls. As he tapped it, I noticed, too. It was thinner than the others, and I could almost see through to the other side with my normal eye.

"Hold on, Zidane. Let me take a look," I said, closing my normal eye even as the sapphire that served as my other one started to glow brighter. I started to laugh as I opened my eye and let the power go. "There's a chest behind it; nice sized one, too. Could contain damn near anything."

Just as I knew he would be, the thief started planning, just staring at the ice that was just a little too thick for him to break through. "Hey, Nico…"

"Zidane, I'm strong, yes, but not strong enough to break through ice in this cave," I interrupted.

"But what about—"

"I'm not that good. Remember, Jack of all trades, Master of none. Yes, I can manipulate Ice magic well enough to get by, but I can't manipulate what's formed naturally without a lot of power put behind it. I'm the wrong person to ask, anyway; you need someone who uses Fire magic to get through this."

"Fire magic… Hey, Vivi, could you try to melt it?" He asked.

"Um, well, I could try…" The shy kid mumbled. Raising his gnarled old staff, he closed his eyes and began chanting, waves of heat flowing from the head of the focus. With a few final words, he swung his staff forward and aimed the ensuing burst of flame at the wall.

Instantly, the ice melted, revealing the chest that had been hidden away. Just as quickly, the thief set on it, his 'broken lock openers', as he called his lockpicks, seeming to fly from the insides of his gloves as he went to work. In under a minute, Zidane had the lock in his pocket as a souvenir and the chest open. Inside, we found a wicked looking dagger, three bags of gil, and a pouch full of different healing medicines. Zidane claimed the dagger, a Mage Masher, by the looks of it, while Steiner secreted the money into his bag and Garnet took the vials.

"There could be more walls like these if we look for 'em. Nico, I want you to keep your eyes open. Vivi, I'm counting on you to get us in." I nodded while the little black mage looked ecstatic about being depended on for something he saw as a big task. I smiled as I kneeled in front of him and put a hand on his little shoulder. "Well, Vivi, looks like we're partners on this. I'll try not to slow you down, I promise." His eyes glowed brighter, and I knew his smile would have lit up the room if we could have seen it.

It was getting harder and harder to resist the urge to wrap that kid in a hug and protect him from the world.

_**XI XI XI XI XI XI XI XI XI**_

Three more hours of walking, two chests, a bridge and six battles later, we were at a crossroads. Literally; the left path lead to a large chamber with a block of ice on a pedestal, while the right lead out into the open. Zidane and Steiner, in rare show of camaraderie, wanted to go right, as an incline could be seen at the far end of the open space. Vivi and Garnet, however, thought it would be prudent to take a moment's rest before proceeding, and the princess pointed out that if any monsters came, we'd seem them first. Both pairs looked to me as the tie breaker.

"Well, Nicoli? You have been rather quiet about all of this."

"The princess is right, scoundrel. What is your say on the matter?"

I sighed and shook my head even as I reached into my pocket and pulled a silvery half-gil from my pocket. The first side shown bore a dragon's head.

"Heads: We go down the right side path and head for the exit." Twisting it around in my claws, I showed them the side stamped with the crest of Lindblum, a horned helm with three arrows crossed by a sword beneath it.

"Tails: We go down the left path and take a break. Is it agreed that whichever way the coin falls, there will be no arguments?" Four nods answered in the affirmative.

I flipped the coin. The silver gil spun straight up in the air, arced slightly, and finished its' fall into my palm. Automatically, my hand flipped and landed on my wrist, still hiding the coin from view. I glanced at the coin, nodded, and revealed the result: Tails.

"We take a break and rest to regain our strength," I rasped. The thief and the knight looked mutinous, but I shook my head. "As agreed, no arguments," I added. The two nodded after a few minutes, and the two of them lead the way. When we reached the room, we found that the block of ice was actually a moogle frozen in place. However, that wasn't all that was in the room; on the far wall, there was another chunk of that thin ice. As Vivi started concentrating his power on the flame spell to thaw the poor creature, I walked around to stare at the wall. Looking through it, I saw a coffin shaped indentation, complete with skeleton. Clutched in the bony hands, a beautifully crafted saber glistened with inner power. The pommel stone was a blood red ruby clutched in a series of feathers, while the hilt looked to be wrapped in white leather. The guard shell was an ivory wing, each feather carefully sculpted to look real.

By far the most striking feature was the blade itself; it was designed to look like a second wing, with the soft point of each feather showing along the edge. Another ruby glittered at the base of the blade, right above the guard. However, despite its' beauty, or perhaps because of it, the weapon seemed… sinister. It almost felt like it exuded bloodlust and envy. As I gazed upon the strange weapon, I felt the desire to own it.

Without thinking about my actions, I raised my hands and placed them on the cold ice. My eyes closed as I felt the chill power flowing through my arms and into the frozen wall. I felt my lips chanting softly as the power flowed into the enchanted solid. I could feel the binding, even as I unraveled it and slowly undid the spells. My body moved away from the wall, backing slowly to the pedestal in the center of the room. I couldn't feel the hands on my arms or tugging on my clothes. I couldn't hear the voices calling my name. Finally, I felt the last of the binding seals break, and I couldn't help but grin as my right arm fell and my left hand curled. When everything was ready, I prepared the end of the spell.

"Break," I whispered and snapped my fingers.

Instantly, the ice-coffin shattered in a small explosion. The skeleton fell and the blade lodged itself in the frozen ground at our feet. Just as slowly as I'd broken the spells binding it, I wrapped my clawed hand around the hilt. Just like that, the desire to own the blade vanished; in its' place, I felt the horror at what I'd just brought back into the world, even as I felt the cursed weapon bind itself to me.

"Alexander save me, what have I done?" I gasped. Gazing at the monstrosity in my hand, I said its' name, even as the Beast snarled in the back of my mind at something far more sinister than It.

"Reaver."

_**XI XI XI XI XI XI XI XI XI**_

I could still feel the bloodbath in my hand, even though it now rested on my hip where my old short sword had. The hellforged saber had been the exact size for the sheath. Steiner was the only one who understood my horror at the nightmare I now carried, and he was refusing to say a word about it, just like I was. We agreed, however, that we would tell them when we reached Dali.

'_I've unleashed a sword that was crafted by a maniac and used by a homicidal tyrant. A sword that has been bathed in more blood than any army has spilled. Gods help me,'_ I thought.

'**There is nothing you can do about it now, weakling. We shall find a way to get rid of the damned curse and seal it where it can never be found again.'**

'_I'd think you'd be happy to have me in possession of a blade like this. After all, it fits your personality.'_

'**Do not insult me, fool; that… thing was christened with the blood of angels and demons when it was forged. It can not be destroyed by anything short of the full pantheon, and even then, it is unsure it would work. It must be sealed away by any means possible.'**

I felt a strange surge of partnership from the Beast as we walked through the other passage and into the open. Almost instantly, we were set upon by a blizzard. The others started shivering, and I felt strangely tired and cold. When the knight and the black mage fell down onto a ridge, warning bells started ringing. When Garnet and Zidane fell unconscious, my suspicions rose; when I started to slowly drift off, my suspicions were confirmed: This was no natural storm.

This was the work of a spell weaver.

'_Concentrate… Concentrate! You've beaten worse than this! C'mon, listen for the signs!'_ I thought. Just as I was about to fall asleep, I heard a bell tinkle and the sleeping spell woven into the blizzard was broken. That was what I was looking for, the sign that it was a mage. No spell could be crafted without a chant unless it was a highly skilled practitioner, and even then a focus was still needed.

I fought off the remnants of the spell and looked up to see Zidane doing the same, though he was still shivering. He looked at me, specifically the necklace hanging around my throat, and I could tell he remembered what I'd told him about it. That it was a gift from Lulu and Noah to help protect me from flame, thunder and poison, a spell for each feather. He remembered that the ruby in the center bore a powerful enchantment of frost shield; I didn't feel the cold unless it extreme.

We exchanged nods as we stood. Together we headed for the sound of the bell, ringing even as the blizzard raged around us. It was no use now, though. We'd broken the enchantment. As we made our way into a massive chamber with a frozen waterfall at one end, we heard a cackling laugh.

"Amazing; I didn't think there'd be anyone who could escape my storm. Especially not two weak little rogues dressed for the summer! Tell me, how did you do it?" an insane voice asked. The storm slowed to a halt as we gazed at the hunched figure before us. It was dressed in a tunic, leggings and shoes that looked to be half patch and half clothing, though it was only possible to tell by the stitches and the mismatched colors on the leggings and shoes. The patches held the same rusty red-brown as the tunic, though the shoes were plain leather and the leggings a dirty yellow. I suppressed a shudder as I looked at the figure; the only thing that could dry to that exact color was blood.

Hanging from the glove on its' left hand was a golden bell that tinkled every time the hand twitched. A wide brim hat almost identical to Vivi's sat on the head and hid the gender from view. However, the most disturbing feature were the two black wings on its' back. They were ragged and broken looking, one even tied in bandages as the figure stood slowly. When it was fully risen, it was easier to tell it was male. The face was shocking, to say the least: Pitch black, with only a pair of slanted yellow eyes glowing from within the depths.

"Oh, well, I guess it doesn't matter; I get to kill you the fun way!" he laughed. Zidane reacted by drawing his usual silvery dagger in his left hand, the heavy Mage Masher in his right. Before I could clear Thorn or, Odin forbid, Reaver from their sheathes, the spell caster turned and glared at the frozen pond.

"Beast of the frozen wastes! Slave to my will! Come forth and crush my foes, Sea Lion!" he screamed and shook his bell. Instantly, the pond exploded upwards as a massive form took shape. Cold yellow eyes set above an almost canine snout and a pair of razor sharp tusks gazed down on us. Two massive flippers with edges that could slice through stone fluttered as they shook. A blue crystal lodged in a broad chest, and a body that looked to be made for the water. If that wasn't enough, the beast was at least twenty feet tall. However, in those hate filled eyes, I could see the regret for what it was being forced to do. The mighty Sea Lion was bound to the will of a monster that was far crueler than any we'd faced so far.

"Zidane, I want you to keep the Seal Lion busy," I rasped softly. He looked at me as I drew a heavy silvery gem attached to a thick leather cord from my belt. As I set it to spinning in a large circle at my side, I glared at the mage. "If I can kill him, the Sea Lion will be set free and return to whence it came." He nodded as I stepped forward and glared at the mage. He laughed as he watched my friend face off against the gigantic creature.

"You honestly think you can defeat me alone? Me, the master of the frozen wastes?" he laughed again, but abruptly stopped as a shard of ice sliced across his arm. Electric blue blood seeped from the cut and sizzled as it hit the frozen battlefield.

"Master of the frozen wastes?" I sneered. "All I see is a fake playing at power." He snarled and shot a blizzard spell at me. If I hadn't dodged, he would have skewered me. That was how the battle went for an hour; trading spells, mostly missing as we dodged. My frozen shards grew more numerous and intricate, while his blizzard spells bordered on the edge of blizzaras. I'd give him this much; he had power in spades.

Just as I was about to pin him to the wall like a butterfly, he did something that I didn't expect: He launched a blast of ice at Zidane. I turned and watched as the blast flew in what seemed to me to be slow motion as my friend pulled a bit of acrobatics over a razor edged flipper. I reached out my hand as if to try and catch it, but I was too late. The blizzard spell slammed into the monkey tailed warrior and propelled him into the wall. I could almost hear the crack as his head hit the ice and he fell to the ground dazed.

The last thing I remember hearing before the sickening crack and my vision going red was the spell caster letting out his cackling laugh. "Your friend will die soon, and you'll soon follow him! Beg for mercy, and I might just make it swift!" He laughed again, and then there was silence.

_**XI XI XI XI XI XI XI XI XI**_

Zidane blinked and shook his head to try to clear away the stars. He managed to look up in time to see the Sea Lion slowly lumbering towards him. Before he could move, the giant froze as an animalistic howl of pure rage tore through the air. Both thief and creature looked at the shocking sight before them. Where once Nicoli Dmitriev had stood, there was something of nightmares that snarled and glared at the mage slowly backing away from it.

Its' body resembled a hellish mix of a Fang, a man and a bird; it was covered in black and gold fur, except for the four large wings jutting from its' broad back, while a tuft of black fur extended from the middle of the barreled chest. Its' front paws were covered in a strange silvery metal and ended in a hooked claw at the end of each digit. A thick tail lashed from the base of its' spine, while it stood on a pair of heavy, animalistic legs that ended in massive paws. The most frightening feature, however, was the head.

The face stretched into a canine muzzle, each tooth dagger sharp and dripping dark ooze that sizzled as it hit the frozen floor. Streaks of dark red fur decorated the beasts' head in random patterns, some even extending down its' right arm. Both pointed ears sported rips and tears, while a silvery shell and stud glittered in the left one. The eyes, though, were what drew the gaze. The left eye was blood red with a slit pupil that seemed to judge everything as either food to devour, or an obstacle to destroy. The right eye, however, was a large sapphire, vibrant blue with a pale blue mist seeping from the edges. As it stood and watched the mage, it tilted its' head to the side. Suddenly, it grinned and chuckled at the mage.

"**I am going to rip your wings off first. Then, I'll take your right arm, followed by your left leg. After that, it will be your right leg and your left arm. Your head will be last, just so I can hear your screams of pain before you die," **the monster rumbled casually. That voice sent a chill down Zidane's spine as he watched the mage try to scramble away and cast a spell at the massive beast… That wasn't there any more. The spell caster looked around before letting out the most horrendous scream as two sprays of his electric blue blood erupted from his back. Standing off to the side, leaning casually against a wall and examining its' claws, stood the dark creature. In its' left paw was a pair of ragged wings.

It laughed again as it looked at the shocked mage. **"As I said, your wings first."** It blurred as it moved, followed by another scream as the mages' right arm vanished in another spray of blood. The heavily bleeding spell caster shook his bell even as his leg was torn off. "Sea Lion! Kill them, and your freedom is assured!" With those final words, the spell caster died in a pool of his own blood. The monster appeared again and sighed, tossing the missing limbs into the electric blue gunk and watching in apparent fascination as the body melted away, leaving nothing behind but a stain that was soon covered in snow.

The beast vanished again as Sea Lion took a swipe with its' razor sharp flipper. Zidane jumped as he heard the snarl in his ear.

"**If you don't want to end up as my next wine, boy, you will get off your ass and fight,"** it growled, even as it stalked to the side and slid its' hooked claws along the ground. The thief stood quickly and readied his daggers as they faced the bewitched giant. It gave off a howl as it lumbered forward, flippers carving into the frozen terrain as it rushed them. The dark beast replied with a growling laugh as it lunged forward to meet the titan in a clash of metal and ice. Where the Sea Lion had a strength that caused icicles to fall from the ceiling like spears, the smaller, darker form had its' uncanny speed that saved it from everything but the giants' fastest blows. Zidane watched for a few more moments before he slipped away and up the ramp. When he reached the top outcropping and looked down, he saw the beast nod its' lupine head in understanding.

It was almost as if the beast could read his mind; just like Nicoli would have, the dark form began to lure the Sea Lion towards the outcropping. Zidane gave a little smile as he thought back to the rage he'd felt at the Plant Cage when it kidnapped Garnet. The strange, familiar power rushed through him again as light enveloped his body. With a flourish of his daggers, the light vanished to reveal the almost feral looking thief. Just like last time he'd felt this power, a voice whispered in the back of his mind, showing him an image of golden flames hitting the Sea Lion like a tidal wave. A guttural set of chirps echoed around the frozen grotto before a burst of water sprayed from behind the giant. The tsunami crashed into the wolf-beast and sent it into the wall, a yip of pain escaping from its' muzzle from its muzzle.

Then it chuckled.

The rasping, growling chuckle was quiet at first, slowly growing into a booming, terrifying laugh as the monster stood up and stared at the outcropping.** "Game,"** it rasped, even as it raised its' metal paws to point at the Sea Lion. The metal shone with a blue light as pale smoke and energy formed inside the cage of its' claws. Its' red eye glared up at Zidane as it nodded. The thief nodded back, raising his own daggers to act as a focus as golden light and heat waves rolled along the blades. With a surge of inspiration, he leapt into the air above the Sea Lion and pointed his daggers at its' head, even as the frozen titan looked up in realization.

"Tidal Flame!" he roared as the heat surged ahead of him in the form of golden flames, the blast hitting the giant head on, even as the monkey tailed teenager slid down its' back to safety. The Sea Lion roared in pain as the still burning daggers slid through its' icy flesh to slow the thief's descent to the frozen ground. When the flames cleared from its' vision, however, it saw the dark beast that had lured it into the trap. Two spears of icy energy glittered in its' talons as a grin stretched across its' dark muzzle. **"Set,"** it snarled. The frozen spears lurched forward and pierced the titan in its' chest and head. Instead of drawing life from the cold, however, the ice was hurting it; something that wasn't supposed to happen to a Spirit of Winter.

"**Soul of malice! Demon of pain! Hear my Call and tear the life from my victim!" **The beast laughed as it clenched its' metallic claws. The Sea Lion felt terror as the ice began to draw the life from the form it took on the mortal plane. It watched as the monster before it began to draw its' claws back before pushing forward and completing the spell. **"Frozen Burst."** The ice lurched forth into the Sea Lions' heart and brain as both spears exploded, tearing a hole in its' chest cavity and skull. As the Sea Lion fell, so, too, did the lupine form before it. The dark beast faded away as it descended to the icy ground, leaving a winged human where it once was. The titan sighed as its' power in the mortal plane failed, letting the hot spring that had been buried under the ice bubble forth again.

Zidane watched as the two monsters vanished, one leaving behind a sapphire the size of his head, while the other turned into his dark haired friend. "Nicoli…" he said, watching as the teenager clutched at his head with a groan of pain.

_**XI XI XI XI XI XI XI XI XI**_

The dull throb was centered in my head, and it seemed to grow with each drop of water that fell down the waterfall and into the deep pool. My left hand fumbled in my belt pouches, searching for something to take the pain away, when a leather clad hand grabbed it and pressed something into my palm. Without a moments thought on if it was poison or not, it was down my throat. Almost instantly, my head felt better, even as I listened to Gabranths' yelling in the back of my mind about drinking things that were given to me before checking to make sure the source was dependable.

"Nicoli, we really need to talk."

I looked up sharply, staring at the blonde haired, monkey tailed thief who was thankfully alive. Then I noticed the look in his eyes, and dawning horror took over the relief. The teenagers' face had a serious cast to it, strange for the blonde anyway, but the eyes are what drove the truth home: Suspicion, fear, disgust. It was the same look I got whenever someone at court saw my wings out instead of hidden beneath my coat and shirt. And since Zidane was used to my wings to the same degree I was used to his tail, there was only one thing that could have given him those eyes.

"You saw It," I rasped quietly, even as I slowly drew my legs beneath me to stand. He nodded once, watching me as I walked over to the large crystal that Sea Lions tend to leave behind when they leave the mortal planes outside of being dismissed. There were streaks of red throughout the heart of the gem, showing that its' owner had been slain in combat; if sold to the right people, it could easily get half a million. Zidane still wasn't talking, even as I pushed the heavy sapphire into my pack. It would be hard to explain to the others if we left it on the ground; the things were too rare and valuable to just be left.

"I think I've earned an explanation, since you looked ready to take off my head."

The accusing words caused me to freeze in place. "Zidane… I will overlook that comment as a result of either the knock you received to your head or adrenaline still flooding your veins left over from battle. Otherwise, I would have to beat you into the ground for it," I snarled. The chill in my voice must have told him he was walking on dangerously thin ice, because I heard a gulp. "As for the explanation, I will tell you the basics when we reach Dali; the rest of the story will have to wait until we reach Lindblum and have more time. If my calculations are correct, than we will arrive a week after the Autumn Equinox and Festival of the Hunt. In the mean time, I think we should keep this little incident from the others; if we encounter a second one, then we'll tell them."

While he didn't look happy about it, he nodded, and lead the way back to our companions. On the way out, however, a pair of voices echoed throughout the cave.

"_You may have defeated the Black Waltz One, but numbers Two and Three will succeed!" _The sources of the voices scampered off, leaving a pall of foretold Doom to hang in the cave. We looked at each other and nodded; we might be telling the others sooner than I thought.

By the time we got there, Steiner was climbing up a naturally formed ladder, Vivi astride his shoulders as the knight pulled himself up. When he saw us, he immediately opened his mouth to start throwing accusations. A raised hand stopped him.

"There was an enchanted object inside the next cave, Sir Knight. It was designed to freeze to death anyone who passed through this area. Luckily, my necklace has a frost shield spelled into it, even though it was close; whoever set the trap up used the heart-crystal of a Sea Lion to power it."

"Truly? And where is the proof of this?" he demanded. I sighed as I reached into my pack and drew out the large sapphire. His jaw dropped as he gazed at the blue crystal, taking note of the bolts of red through its' heart. "I suspect you took the curse off the crystal?"

"Aye; we'd all be ice sculptures, otherwise."

"Excellent; a stone that size should be donated to the royal library when we return to Alexandria. The scholars there could learn much from it about the nature of Sea Lions."

"Actually, I was thinking more along the lines of giving it to the Grande Museum of Lindblum. Not only will it be protected, but it will also be studied by some of the best minds in the kingdom."

Steiner started to sputter as he glared at me, even as I stowed the brilliant gem in my pack once more. "Now wait just a minute, brigand! How do you propose to get it there when you hang from the gallows or rot in a cell in the palace dungeons?"

"By taking it there myself; that seems to be the most logical choice, does it not?" I replied. If anything, that infuriated the knight even more. He even began to jump and swing his fists around in the air.

"Impossible! You don't have an airship, and you would need a gate pass to get through from the ground level, and—"

"The latter of which I have, and the former being unnecessary. Or did you forget that I can fly on my own?" I asked, spreading my large wings from their folded state. He stopped, mouth working like a fish as he tried to come up with a convincing argument. "Besides, Captain, I believe I was the one to retrieve it, therefore, _I_ get to decide its' fate. You know how it works."

"Steiner, what does he mean?" the princess asked, jumping in between the two of us. He instantly bowed to her, cowed into submission.

"It means, your Highness, that unless I defeat him in single combat, he is the rightful owner of the Sea Lion heart-crystal."

"Correction, your Highness: Unless he defeats me in single combat, robs me, or kills me in my sleep, I own the crystal," I added. She looked shocked at my calm way of speaking about theft and murder. "It's the way the treasure hunting business works, Princess. It's definitely one of the riskiest lines of work; you can come up with nothing, and what you do come up with could be taken from you by either a knife or by stealth."

"Ok, enough talk about how the treasure hunting trade works; the fact of the matter is that we have a way out of the caves," Zidane said, drawing everyone's attention to him. He motioned to the exit and smiled, even as he started walking towards the ramp. I sighed and trudged after him, and the hand that wrapped around mine told me that the little mage wasn't that good with heights. The princess followed us with the knight taking up the rear. When we exited into the sunlight, we all squinted a bit from the brightness, even though recovery was quick. As we looked down upon the village, I couldn't help but smile. The view was beautiful, even with the backdrop of Mist around the cliff edges. However, all good things come to an end; this moment was broken by Zidane mentioning that we needed to come up with a name for the princess, and Steiner responding by yelling at him for it. It degenerated into a shoving match, one that caused the thief's silvery knife to jostle free of its' sheath on his thigh.

"Zidane, what is this blade called?" she asked as she picked up the fallen weapon.

"That? It's a dagger. All knives of that length are called daggers; blades that hit three feet are called short swords, while—"

"Thank you, Zidane." The blonde looked crestfallen as the princess looked at the honed blade, running a finger lightly down the edge.

"Princess, please, be careful! That is a dangerous weapon," Steiner said, looking like he wanted to reach out and snatch the offending blade, but knowing it would likely cause injury if he did.

"That's it, than. I've decided that from now on, I will be called 'Dagger'." The brunet turned and smiled at us, though it did have a slightly sinister feel to it because of the knife in her hands. I grinned, though, and carefully took the blade from her and passed it back to its' master.

"A fine name, Miss Dagger," I said, earning a chuckle from the royal.

"You have my thanks, Nicoli."

"But that's not going to help much if she keeps talking like the nobility," Zidane said. He crossed his arms over his chest and stared around the group, his eyes finally landing on Vivi. Finally, he snapped his fingers and gazed at the disguised princess. "When people ask you to do something, and you want to do it, say, 'Alrighty'." He said. Dagger looked startled, but nodded.

"A-alrighty," she stuttered. I sighed.

"Miss Dagger, if I may be so bold, might I suggest listening to the villagers?" When she looked at me, I elaborated. "Listen to how they speak. It's easier to pick up speech patterns when you actually listen to them. For example," I grinned, giving Zidane a mischievous look before turning back to Dagger. "If'n yer gonna go ta de docks in Balamb, an' ye wan'ta hide 'mongst th' seamen ye'll find, t'would be in yer best intrest ta mim'c de way th' scurvy dogs wag their tongues ta each oth'r."

Zidane doubled over with laughter, while Vivi chuckled and Steiner grinned. Dagger was smiling, herself, and applauded my impromptu performance. "Amazing! How did you learn to change your voice so quickly? And do people really speak like that.?"

"They do, at that, your Highness, and not just in Balamb; that was a perfect brogue of almost every sea faring man I've ever heard," the knight said. "Though it does bring to mind the question of when you had to lose yourself on the docks, scoundrel."

"Now, it wouldn't be a secret if I told you that," I replied, dropping the rasp from my voice with the ease of a professional minstrel. I laughed as I took the lead down towards the village. Something told me it was going to be a good day.

_**XI XI XI XI XI XI XI XI XI**_

Odin take whoever jinxed us!

Not even ten minutes after we left the cliff overlooking the village, we were set upon by the three biggest spiders in all of Gaia. We didn't even have time to ready our weapons before Zidane, Steiner and I were trussed up in webbing. I felt one of them bite me on the wing and inject its' venom into my system. I could almost feel the thick liquid burning through my system, sluggishly burning closer to my heart. Before the big beastie could drag me off, however, a burst of fire in its' ugly face made it back off enough for Zidane to get me free; as it turns out blasted monkey had a thin knife sewn into his glove, and was put to good use cutting him free of the silk strands.

"I gotta say, Nico, seeing you tied like—"

"Finish that sentence and I'll make your tail into a belt, furball," I growled. He just chuckled, but didn't finish his statement. By the time he had me free, one of the spiders was a charred wreck, while the other two were looking rather singed. Note to self: Never make Vivi mad enough to roast me like that. Without thinking about it, I drew Reaver in my left hand, the rubies glittering as I stood. The hilt fit perfectly in my claws, even though it was held reversed. A strange sense of bloodlust filled me as the blade rose in my hand. Without thinking about it, I rushed forward, Reaver lashing out as if with a mind of its' own. The second it bit into the monster's flesh, ice erupted from within and earned a shriek from the wounded beast.

Again and again, the wicked saber struck, leaving frost and spilt insect guts across the green grass. Screams echoed in my ears and mind as I attacked the beast. The only thing that brought me out of that dark passion was the hand on my shoulder, and even then, I almost struck the one who grabbed me; as luck had it, the steely ring of blade on blade broke through, and I saw the heavy sword of the knight-captain grinding against the lighter Reaver. "Captain, I—"

"I've heard tales of the Reaver's curse; seeing it in action, however, is something entirely different compared to legends and second hand accounts," he said, carefully guiding the two swords until the slim blade was again sheathed. Almost immediately, I felt a surge of a weary calm wash over me as my claws left the hilt, and I could finally take a look at the battlefield; while one spider was a burnt cinder, and a second was covered in stab wounds and gashes, they were both still recognizable. The one that I destroyed, however, was little more than a mass of ice and mutilated flesh. A few broken limbs extended from the mess, surrounded by gouges of ice through the turf. Aside from those few pieces, it was next to impossible to tell it had once been a spider.

The three younger members of our party had horrified looks on their faces as they gazed upon the destruction. If I hadn't been the one to cause it, I would have had the same reaction; instead, I just felt sick to my stomach. "Let's… Let's get out here. Those corpses will draw other beasts soon," I muttered. My steps were reminiscent of an old man's as we walked away from the path. Luckily, the little village of Dali was close at hand, and we agreed to wash the filth of the past few days away when we got there.

_**XI XI XI XI XI XI XI XI XI**_

The town was quiet when we got there; which was actually rather odd, considering it was about mid afternoon. Still, despite a rating of six on the Creepy Scale, it was a unanimous decision that we needed to relax for a bit, along with resupplying and planning the next stage of our journey. Zidane lead our way to the thankfully close in, and another strange sight greeted us: The innkeeper was out cold. I hung back a little and watched the man as the thief rang the bell.

When he came awake, he froze and stared. I thought he was staring at the princess, until I noticed that his gaze was angled downward just enough to be looking at about waist height. Either he was thinking that Dagger's outfit was skin tight, or he wasn't staring at her at all.

Hello, Creepy Scale, Factor Seven.

"Hey, man, I know she's cute, but quit staring at her," Zidane rebuked; however, by the tone of his voice, he wasn't that inclined to follow his own warning.

"H-huh? I-I wasn't staring at— Ahem, w-what was it you needed?" the clerk replied.

"We need to book a room for the night. Do you have one available?" he asked. He sounded patient, but, then again, considering he was probably used to one or more members of Tantalus being drunk at any one time, it wasn't that surprising. The clerk nodded and stuttered out a price, though he kept glancing at Dagger the entire time. When the knight reached over to count out the price, I stopped him by dropping fifty gold gil coins on the desk with a smile when he looked at me.

"I was—"

"It's alright, Captain. Consider this my apology for both running off, and not waking you for watch last night," I interrupted. While his gaze was still rather suspicious, he nodded and walked towards the room, Dagger, Vivi and Zidane in tow. I gave the innkeeper a chill look as I stepped forward, my claws tapping hard into the wood.

"Remember, neighbor: It's ok to look, as long as you keep your hands to yourself," was all I snarled out before I lifted my hand away. Four perfect holes were carved into the wood, exactly where I was tapping. The man turned a lovely shade of ghost before nodding shakily. As I walked away, I could almost detect the scent of urine, and I felt a slightly self satisfied smirk grace my visage as I closed the doors behind me. _'And he says I'm too nice to inspire sheer terror like that. Zevran, eat your heart out,' _I thought.

However, all thoughts of gloating were dispelled as a thundering voice cut through my mental reprieve and I noticed that Steiner was jumping up and down again. He was shouting something about lack of space, and that's when I noticed the problem: There were only four beds in the room.

"Captain, what is the problem?" I asked.

"This fool of a thief keeps saying there isn't a problem, but I keep trying to tell him that there are only four beds! We need a fifth for all of us to sleep in this room," he growled.

"It appears you have forgotten our little argument from earlier, friend," I replied. When he looked at me with a confused gaze, I shook my head. "I don't sleep, and I'm also out of the medicine that forces me to do so." He blinked, than noticed that two of us were already out: Dagger and Vivi were both sleeping soundly, despite Steiner's yelling.

He wasn't to be denied, however, and launched into a new attack. "That is only the beginning of my grievances, murderer; you and this scoundrel seem to think that you will find safe haven in Lindblum, when the truth of the matter is that you shall be executed in Alexandria if I have to drag you there myself!"

Zidane looked like he wanted to reply to that, but I motioned him to stay silent. "Captain Steiner, at this moment in time, we are still allies. I believe it would be in the best interest of both parties if we agreed to disagree and get some sleep while we still can. Afterwards, we can go back to arguing; is that acceptable?"

Though he looked like he wanted to argue more than anything else, he relented with a reluctant nod. As he and Zidane turned to their beds, I took a seat on the vanity stool; it had been a long few days, and I would try to rest, if nothing else. Just when I thought he was asleep, however, Zidane opened his eyes and glared at me. The message was clear: Meet me behind the inn. We have much to discuss. I sighed, but nodded and headed to the door. Once I'd slipped past the sleeping desk clerk and around to the back, I leaned against the wall and lowered my gaze.

I didn't have to wait long; the blonde thief came through the window and landed with a soft thump a few feet away. "Aren't I supposed to be the aerial expert here? You're stealing my thunder, chimp."

"Don't start joking with me, Bloodwing; you promised answers, and I want them. Now," he growled back. If his tone didn't set the mood, his serious expression and burning eyes did. I sighed again and turned away.

"'Be careful what you wish for, because you might just get it,'" I said as my gaze rose to the sky. "That simple warning is the very foundation of my existence, Zidane; the start of my curse, and why you saw that monstrosity earlier." When I turned to face him, he faltered from the haunted look in my eye. "Besides, you have to remember that there's always a price when you make a deal with a devil."

_**-Flashback-**_

The first thing that told him something was wrong was the smell; it was a combination of decay, blood, sewage, and despair. 'Death' was the only word that came to mind.

As he opened his eyes, he noticed three things; One, he was stripped down to a loincloth. Two, he was locked in a pen with at least twenty others in the same state of dress as he was. Three, all of them were in a pen surrounded by goblins. Their largest guard gave him a leering grin, and he shuddered. There was something about that look that terrified him. The teenager didn't have long to think about it, though, as several guards came into view flanking a massively fat goblin wearing mismatched armor, a glass helm with the top broken to allow feathers to be sewn to the leather, and a horrible looking cleaver, splotched with rust and decorated with bones and crystals. Around its' neck, a series of gaudy necklaces hung against the rusty breastplate.

It thundered something in the guttural goblin tongue, and pointed at the winged boy. The guards laughed, and walked into the pen. All of the other unfortunates that had been trapped with him scurried away, trying to get as much distance between him and them as possible. When the guards grabbed his arms, one of them grunted something to him; while he missed most of it, he caught a few of the words Gabranth had taught him a few months ago.

Chief, bitch, sex, good, die.

His eyes widened in horror as his mind pieced together the rest of what the phrase had to be: The chief had chosen him as his bitch for the night; if he was a good lay, he wouldn't be killed. The teen struggled in the guards iron grips, but it was useless; by the time he had his chance, he'd been passed on to the chief's guards.

_**-End Flashback-**_

"So I was given over to the guards and taken to the largest, dirtiest tent," I said. Throughout the entire story, I hadn't looked back at the thief.

"You mean… You're telling me… That you were…"

"No, it didn't get that far, though it was a close thing," I turned to look at him again. From the horrified look on his face, I could tell he wasn't expecting what I had just told him. "You see, the entire way to the tent, I prayed to anything that would listen to save me. I swore on my life that I would do almost anything, as long as I was saved." A dry, humorless laugh escaped my mouth as I shook my head. "Well, something heard me, alright. A little known fact: Most of the Gods we pray to and swear by can't hear us. The truth of the matter is that we mortals are ignored by divine beings unless it's something thousands are wishing for, or unless we offer a good enough reward for their help. Me, I promised to give everything away short of my very soul, and something called my bluff.

"A major nature spirit heard my prayers, and agreed to save me if I gave it something it wanted more than anything else. I didn't even wait for it to define what it wanted before I agreed; Shiva, I was stupid…"

"What did it want?" Zidane asked. From the tone of his voice, however, he was beginning to realize _exactly_ what its' price was.

"It wanted the chance to get revenge on the ones that had destroyed its' forest; it wanted to slaughter all of the creatures who had desecrated the wood that had been its' home. It wanted blood, Zidane, and in my terror, I gave it exactly what it needed to take its' vengeance. When I made the deal, it had only wanted the goblins, since they were the ones who used the saplings as firewood, polluted the grounds for years to come, and destroyed all the vegetation where the forest once stood. It changed my body into a massive beast, and slaughtered every single goblin in that camp.

"Three hundred and thirty nine dead, counting the children; after the bloodlust had slackened enough for both of us to think clearly, it realized that there were more to blame for the destruction. Thanks to my memories, it saw cities made of wood and stone; it saw rivers damned up or diverted from their natural course. It saw thousands of its brothers and sisters die, and it was corrupted by hatred. Thanks to my own stupidity, I gave a twisted spirit by the name of Volpis the ability to take what it felt to be a well deserved revenge against every living sentient in existence."

I looked him straight in the eyes as I spread my arms and wings. "I'm possessed, Zidane, and the spirit has a will to match my own."

_**XI XI XI XI XI XI XI XI**_

_Finally, chapter three is done! I know, it took me way too damn long to do it, but hey, I rewrote the damned thing a few hundred times. Over 11,000 words and nineteen pages long, its' finally up._

_So, review after ya read, and look in my profile for the address to Nicoli's facebook page._

_-GC_


	5. A notice

More than a year.

More than a year has passed since I started this tale, and it's only reached the third chapter. Over a year ago was the last update, and I have to say, I've changed a lot since then. I am no longer that fool I was back when this began, and I can't really relate to my character anymore. In my own eyes, Nicoli seems… Broken, beyond repair. There are flaws with his design, his creation, his power, and even his very core. Because of that, I can't continue to write him. It just feels wrong when I try. So, I have to do what must be done at this point.

I'm scrapping the story, and him with it.

That's not to say I'm leaving; far from it. What I am doing is rewriting everything from the ground up, starting with the character itself. What form he will take, I don't know. But there are some plot devices that I just can't give up, some details that are just too juicy, and a future that will set you on the edge with realization. I'll give you all a hint, and if you figure it out, don't say a word.

The Angels will be the key to Gaia.

If you can't figure that out, go play IX again, specifically around when they're in Terra. Garland has the answer.

So, my freaky darlings, I cannot say farewell, for this is not the end. Instead, I shall say this:

I'm still here.

Sincerely,

GC


End file.
